Blake Harrell selected to lead ECU football program

“We are excited to announce this Blake Harrell as the next head coach of the ECU Football program,” said Gilbert. “I am confident that Blake is the ideal candidate to lead our program. We couldn't be more excited about Blake, his wife Jessie and their three girls Kennedy, Kingston and Aspen. Over the past four regular season games, I have asked Blake to support our student-athletes in an interim role, and he has excelled in all areas of that task. He clearly demonstrated his dedication to our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and we all witnessed his infectious energy and enthusiasm for the job. His leadership, communication skills, strong relationships with our players and dedication to building a championship program make him an excellent fit.

“In recent weeks, Blake has set out a detailed vision of his approach to leading this programme. There is no doubt that we will play an aggressive and exciting brand of football and build a squad that will strive for excellence both on the pitch and beyond.”

Harrell, the program's interim head coach since Oct. 20 and the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach since his initial hire in January 2020, has led the Pirates (7-4, 5-2 AAC) to four straight wins over Temple . Florida Atlantic, Tulsa and North Texas and has helped ECU achieve bowl eligibility for the third time in the last four seasons (2021/Military, 2022/Birmingham). Over the last four games, the Pirates have scored 183 points and 2,140 yards of total offense.

“This is a tremendous honor to lead the East Carolina football program,” Harrell said. “I want to thank Chancellor (Philip) Rogers, athletic director Jon Gilbert and members of the East Carolina Board of Trustees for this opportunity.

“Pirate Nation is second to none and our family is fortunate to call Greenville home. The passion everyone has for East Carolina athletics is on display daily. We look forward to continuing our journey with this team and are excited to to play at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this weekend and our senior class.”

Harrell, a 2021 Broyles Award nominee, has spearheaded a turnaround for a Pirates defense that gave up just 27.3 points per game in 2020-23 at East Carolina, its best four-year total since 2012-15. He has guided eight All-American Athletic Conference Team selections, as well as 2022 All-American Ja'Quan McMillian during his time in Greenville.

Before accepting his position on the East Carolina coaching staff, Harrell spent one season (2019) as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Kennesaw State, where he helped lead the Owls to an 11-3, second-round Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff was featured and a final No. 8 national rank in the AFCA Coaches' Poll.

Under his leadership, the KSU defense topped the Big South Conference in 10 statistical categories and set four school records. Kennesaw State also ranked among the best at the FCS level, ranking third in total defense (278.7), fifth in rush defense (88.9), 10th in scoring defense (18.7), 11th in tackles for loss ( 104), 13th in turnovers forced (25), 15th in fumbles recovered (12) and 17th in third-down defense (33.0 percent).

He directly tutored junior linebacker Bryson Armstrong, who was a five-time All-America selection and was the Big South Defensive Player-of-the-Year after recording 95 tackles and 12.0 TFLs. Armstrong was also one of four Owl defensemen to earn league-wide honors.

Prior to his appointment at KSU, Harrell spent five campaigns at The Citadel – the last three as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. His stout defense led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Southern Conference championships and a No. 6 overall seed in the FCS Playoffs during the 2016 season. He developed some of the most dynamic players in the SoCon during his five-year tenure in Charleston when the program embarked on its most successful run in school history.

The Citadel held five opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards during the 2018 campaign and led the SoCon in first defense, ranking 35th nationally. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the campaign came on Nov. 17 when the Bulldogs limited No. 1 Alabama to just 10 points in the first half at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Tide's lowest halftime total this year.

Harrell's units consistently created takeaways during his time at The Citadel, totaling 83 over the past four years — including 31 during Houston's final season as head coach in 2015, ranking third in the nation. His teams have forced at least 17 goals in each of the past four seasons, an average of nearly two per game over the stretch.

The Citadel boasted one of the best defenses in the SoCon during the 2017 season, finishing league play with the No. 1 scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense. In 2016, the Bulldog defense was the cornerstone of a team that won a program-record 10 games, a school-record six road wins in a single season and a No. 6 national postseason seed.

Harrell spent seven years at Lenoir-Rhyne University and held a variety of responsibilities from 2007 to 2013, including defensive run coordinator, special teams coordinator, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator.

In his final season at LR, Harrell helped the Bears reach the NCAA Division II National Championship Game, set a school record with 13 wins and achieve an eventual No. 2 national rank. Defensively, Lenoir-Rhyne led the South Atlantic Conference in total defense, rushing defense, quarterback sacks and scoring defense.

Before joining LR, Harrell coached the 2005 and 2006 seasons at Franklin (NC) High School, where he oversaw the high school and added defensive coordinator duties in 2006. Harrell was part of an FHS squad that was 22-4 during those two seasons. and his '06 defense held opponents to just nine points per game.

Harrell also coached at Fuquay-Varina (NC) High School in 2004 and McDowell (NC) High School in 2003 after two seasons as a student assistant coach at alma mater Western Carolina in 2001 and 2002. Harrell graduated from Western Carolina with a bachelor's degree. in physical education in 2002 before earning an MBA from Lenoir-Rhyne in 2012. He and his wife Jessie are the parents of three daughters: Kennedy, Kingston and Aspen.