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East Carolina coaching search: Multiple SEC assistants mentioned for ECU job by CFB insider
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East Carolina became the first FBS program to fire their coach during the 2024 season after Week 8.
Mike Houston spent 6 seasons at the helm of the Pirates and collected a 27-38 record over that stretch. The team went to a bowl game in 2022, but success has been hard to come by since then. The team got off to a 3-4 start in 2024 and was dominated by Army in Week 8.
Now, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman has identified some logical candidates to be East Carolina’s next head coach. Included in Feldman’s list are 5 current SEC assistants.
The first SEC assistant named is LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. Sloan is a former ECU quarterback who spent 9 seasons as an assistant under Skip Holtz at Louisiana Tech. The coach helped Jayden Daniels blossom into a Heisman-winning QB at LSU and has helped Garrett Nussmeier step into the QB1 role.
Another SEC assistant named is Missouri OC Kirby Moore. Moore has been the OC at Missouri since 2023 and has helped oversee the development of elite receivers like Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr.
Georgia TE coach Todd Hartley was another name listed. Hartley has been in his role since 2019 and has seen a couple of his TEs get drafted. The coach is seen as a key assistant to Kirby Smart.
Switching over to the defensive side of the ball, Feldman listed Texas A&M DC Jay Bateman and Missouri defensive tackles coach David Blackwell. Bateman is a native of nearby Virginia and has coached at Elon and North Carolina in the past.
Finally, Blackwell is a former ECU offensive lineman who was the school’s interim HC in 2018. If the school is looking for familiarity, Blackwell could be the perfect choice.
The coaching carousel will only heat up from here as teams shift their focus to 2025.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
