East Carolina Spring Media Information
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
East Carolina FootballPage 1 2021 Spring Prospectus EAST CAROLINA SPRING MEDIA INFORMATION GENERAL QUICK FACTS PRACTICE SCHEDULE (dates and times subject to change) Location: ..........................................................................Greenville, N.C. 27858 Friday, March 19 ...................................................shorts/no contact, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) Founded: ...................................................................................................... 1907 Saturday, March 20 ...............................................shorts/no contact, 9:30-noon (practice complex) Enrollment: ................................................................................................28,718 Tuesday, March 23 ......................................................... shells/pads, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) Conference: ........................................................................... American Athletic Thursday, March 25 ....................................................... shells/pads, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) Nickname: ................................................................................................Pirates Saturday, March 27 .............................................................shells/pads, 10-noon (practice complex) Colors: ..............................................Purple (PMS #268) and Gold (PMS #109) Home Stadium: .................................................Dowdy-Ficklen (50,000/1963) Tuesday, March 30 .................................................................pro timing day, TBA (practice complex) Surface: .........................................................................................Natural Grass Tuesday, March 30 .........................................................shells/pads, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) Chancellor: ...............................................................................Dr. Philip Rogers Thursday, April 1 ............................................................shells/pads, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) Athletics Director: ............................................................................ Jon Gilbert Saturday, April 3 .....................................................scrimmage, 10-noon (Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium) Tuesday, April 6 .............................................................shells/pads, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) FOOTBALL QUICK FACTS Thursday, April 8 ...........................................................shells/pads, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) 2020 Record: ..................................................................................................3-6 Saturday, April 10 ...................................................scrimmage, 10-noon (Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium) 2020 American Athletic Conference Record/Finish:........................3-5/t-8th 2020 Postseason: .......................................................................................none Tuesday, April 13 ............................................................shells/pads, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) Off ensive Scheme: ..................................................................................Spread Thursday, April 15 ..........................................................shells/pads, 3:30-6 p.m. (practice complex) Defensive Scheme: ........................................................................ Multiple 3-4 Saturday, April 17 .....................................................spring game, 3 p.m. (Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium) Off ensive Starters Returning/Lost: ............................................................10/1 Defensive Starters Returning/Lost: ...........................................................10/1 WHAT WE HAVE (2021) Specialists Starters Returning/Lost: ...........................................................2/2 ECU returns an impressive 89 percent of its ground yards in 2021, which was mostly responsible for Lettermen Returning: ............................................63 (27 off ., 33 def., 3 spec.) the Pirates’ 173.8 rushing yards-per-game average in 2020 - the program’s highest clip since 2007 ... Lettermen Lost: ...........................................................11 (4 off ., 5 def., 2 spec.) ECU returns 95 percent of its total yards (3,452 of 3,624) in 2021 … ECU returns a perfect 100 percent (2,060 of 2,060) of its passing yards in 2021 ... FOOTBALL STAFF Of ECU’s 33 touchdowns last year, 24 (73 percent) were scored by players who return in 2021 ... Head Coach: .........................................................Mike Houston (Mars Hill ‘94) Of ECU’s 18 takeaways last year, 17 were tallied by defenders who return in 2021 - including all 10 picks … Record at ECU: ........................................................................7-14/third season All four Pirates who earned American Athletic Conference honors last year return in 2021, including Overall Coaching Record: .....................................................87-39/11th season Defensive Coordinator/ILBs: .................Blake Harrell (Western Carolina ‘02) fi rst-team selection and rookie-of-the-year RB Rahjai Harris. Other all-league returners include CB Ja’Quan Off ensive Coordinator/QBs: ..............Donnie Kirkpatrick (Lenoir-Rhyne ‘82) McMillian, WR/RS Tyler Snead and ILB Xavier Smith ... Special Teams Coordinator/DEs/OLBs: .............Tim Daoust (Wittenberg ‘01) Among 2020 individual national (FBS) off ensive stats leaders for 2021 returners -WR C.J. Johnson Passing Game Coordinator/IRs/TEs: ...................Latrell Scott (Hampton ‘99) stood 6th in yards per reception (21.3) and QB Holton Ahlers ranked 25th in passing TDs (18) ... Outside Receivers: .....................................Drew Dudzik (James Madison ‘10) Among 2020 individual national (FBS) defensive stats leaders for 2021 returners - DT Elijah Morris Cornerbacks: ......................................................Steve Ellis (Nicholls State ‘03) was 3rd in recovered fumbles (3), CB Ja’Quan McMillian was 6th in total interceptions (4) and OLB Jireh Running Backs: ............................................Chris Foster (Gardner-Webb ‘04) Wilson was 16th in forced fumbles (3) ... Off ensive Line: ............................................Steve Shankweiler (Davidson ‘74) ECU’s defensive unit, which returns 10 of 11 starters in 2021, held two opponents under the 100-yard Defensive Tackles: ..................................................Roy Tesh (Greensboro ‘04) passing mark in ‘20 - a fi rst for an East Carolina defense since 2008 ... Safeties: .........................................................Tripp Weaver (East Carolina ‘12) Director of Strength/Conditioning: .............John Williams, Jr. (N.C. A&T ‘95) WHAT TO LOOK FOR (2021) Director of Football Administration: ..........Dale Steele (South Carolina ‘76) Ahlers needs just 106 passing yards to move into fourth place on ECU’s career list (as a junior) and only Director of Football Operations: ........................... Jake Kirkendall (Ohio ‘07) 1,081 to rank among the Top 3 Pirate passers of all-time (trailing only Shane Carden and David Garrard) ... Director of Player Development: ..........Tarron Williams (Gardner-Webb ‘09) Ahlers needs only 426 rushing yards to become ECU’s all-time leading rusher among signal-callers, Director of Player Personnel/Recruiting: ...Derek Miller (Bowling Green ‘14) surpassing Leander Green’s mark of 1,485 ... Director of Creative Media: ...............................Jarrett Ozimek (Campbell ‘16) WHAT WE SAW (2020) 2021 DATES TO REMEMBER The Pirates closed the year with a two-game AAC win streak - a fi rst since 2015 - after averaging 40.0 Purple-Gold Spring Game: .....................................................April 17 (3 p.m.) points, 212.5 rushing yards and 470.0 total yards in those pair of victories ... Fall Camp/First Practice: .....................................................................August 4 A total of 37 diff erent players (19/off ense, 18/defense) made starts in ‘20, including 21 fi rst-timers (11/O, Season Opener (Appalachian State): .........................................September 2 10/D) - a number which ranked among the Top 15 nationally among all FBS programs ... American Conference Opener (Tulane): ...........................................October 2 ECU ranked among the Top 25 nationally in three statistical categories in 2020 - punt return average (10th/14.6 ypr), most fumbles recovered (25th/8) and most turnovers gained (25th/18) ... MEDIA RELATIONS & SOCIAL MEDIA The Pirates scored 272 points during their pandemic-shortened nine-game schedule, which translated Assistant AD/Media Relations (FB contact): ............................Tom McClellan into a 30.2 scoring average - the 10th-highest all-time clip in ECU history ... Email/Phone:[email protected]/252-737-1274 offi ce, 252-414-0990 cell Harris and Keaton Mitchell’s collective fi ve 100-yard rushing outings in 2020 were the most overall Online: .......................www.ECUPirates.com, @ECUPiratesFB, @ECUAthletics individual century-mark ground eff orts at East Carolina since 2012. East Carolina FootballPage 2 2021 Spring Prospectus ECU’S OFFENSE ... AT-A-GLANCE Scheme: ........................................................................ Spread 2021 SPRING PERSONNEL ANALYSIS Starters Returning/Lost: ..................................................10/1 STARTERS RETURNING (22) Lettermen Returning/Lost: ..............................................27/4 OFFENSE (10): Holton