2024 ECU football coaching search: Candidates, hot board, names Pirates insiders should keep an eye on

After a total of just five wins since the start of last season, sixth fewest in the FBS, East Carolina football fired head coach Mike Houston in the midst of a 3-4 season. Houston won the 2016 FCS championship at James Madison, but was unable to replicate that success in the FBS, leaving the Pirates with a 27-38 record at the school. The East Carolina football head coaching job is now one of four open positions in the FBS, with defensive coordinator Blake Harrell serving in the interim.

ECU has one of the American Conference’s most successful athletic programs, ranking third among active AAC schools with 13 AAC titles in all sports. They didn’t win a bowl game until 2022 and the Carolinas are rich in talent, making ECU football’s opening very attractive. If you love the Pirates or just want to know who will be calling the shots in ECU football in the future, be sure to read what the trusted team of insiders at HoistTheColors, the 247Sports affiliate for East Carolina, has to say.

HoistTheColors’ ECU Insiders provide on-site coverage of all developments surrounding Houston’s firing and the future of the ECU football program, including insights from Stephen Igoe, who has deep-rooted connections in and around the ECU community, and analysis from national analysts like Brad Crawford. Get all the inside information on the football program as well as VIP information on ECU football, basketball, recruiting and more, plus access to the Crow’s Nest VIP forum where you can connect with other ECU fans and insiders.

And right now, HoistTheColors is offering 50% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up. The HoistTheColors team already has a list of several potential candidates and there are some surprising names on the list. Head over to HoistTheColors now to see them all.

Top East Carolina football coaching candidates

One name the staff has identified as a potential target is LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. Sloan has spent the last 12 years coaching in Louisiana, nine of them at Louisiana Tech and the last three at LSU. As the Tigers’ quarterbacks coach last year, he helped guide Jayden Daniels to the Heisman Trophy when LSU led all of college football in both points per game (45.5) and yards per game (543, 5) stated. This year, in his first stint as LSU’s OC, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leads the SEC with 18 touchdown passes in eight weeks.

Before coming to LSU in 2022, Sloan spent nine years at Louisiana Tech in various offensive roles and as one of the Bulldogs’ senior recruiters. As OC at La. Tech in 2020, Sloan helped the program achieve the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA, which was also the No. 4 recruiting class nationally among Group of 5 programs. The previous season, in his first stint as an OC at any level, he helped Louisiana Tech post the second-best offense and total offense in the CUSA. His playing career at ECU included 41 games as an owner and backup quarterback, and many Pirates fans would certainly welcome his return to the school. For more candidates, see HoistTheColors.

How to get insider search updates for ECU coaching staff

The rest of the list includes several other coaches with ties to ECU, including an NFL assistant and another program legend. You can only see who they are at HoistTheColors.

Who are the top names in the ECU football coaching search and which program legend could return? Visit HoistTheColors to check out the ECU coaching hotboard and more, all from a team of ECU and college football insiders and find out.

And as a reminder, HoistTheColors is offering 50% off an annual VIP membership as a coaching search special, so subscribe now before it’s too late.

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