Sources – East Carolina to promote Blake Harrell to head coach

East Carolina is set to promote interim coach Blake Harrell to be its next coach, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Harrell is 4-0 since taking over on Oct. 20. East Carolina is 7-4 on the season.

ECU’s board has yet to meet to formally approve a contract for Harrell, sources told ESPN. That meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 A.M.

East Carolina brass has been impressed with the “infectious energy” Harrell has brought to the job, as there is a belief at ECU that the job should be one of the best in the AAC in its current iteration. ECU has a 50,000-seat stadium and a passionate fan base, and the coaching search centered around someone who could maximize the job.

Harrell has assembled the team with a hands-on style as he has scaled back practice to keep players fresh and focus on maximizing their experience.

The players have responded with wins over Temple, Florida Atlantic, at Tulsa and at North Texas.

ECU fell behind 21-0 to UNT on Saturday and stormed back for an emphatic 40-28 victory. In the wake of the emotional win, the players amplified their rallying cry to keep Harrell as coach.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Katin Houser, who has thrown 13 touchdown passes in Harrell’s four games as interim coach, posted “Wewantharrell” on social media to express his support for Harrell getting the full-time job. Others who went public with their support included veteran Rahjai Harris and senior tackle Parker Moorer.

Harrell, 46, was promoted to interim from his job as East Carolina’s defensive coordinator. He has deep roots in the Carolinas, having graduated from Western Carolina and has an MBA from Lenoir-Rhyne. He coached in high school in North Carolina and began his full-time college coaching career with stints at Lenoir-Rhyne and The Citadel.

Harrell also had a stint outside the Carolinas at Kennesaw State as defensive coordinator in 2019, where he had a top-five FCS defense.

Harrell will take over for Mike Houston, who was fired in his sixth season after going 27-38. ECU hasn’t won a league title since Skip Holtz led them to a Conference USA crown in 2009.

Harrell’s expected promotion marks the first of six American Athletic Conference jobs to be filled this year. The remaining vacancies are Tulsa, FAU, Rice, Charlotte and Temple.

ECU vs. Navy on Saturday to end the regular season. A win would be just the second time since 2014 that ECU has won eight games.