All ECU football offseason coaching hires and transfers

East Carolina University's football team (2-10, 1-7 American Athletic Conference) has been reflecting on their second 10-loss season in program history, which has resulted in immediate firings and hiring's, as well as the addition of transfer players, to help patch up the wound that was last season, in hopes of returning Pirate nation to bowl game contention.

It first started with the dismissal of former Offensive Coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick following the Pirates 2023 campaign. A move most ECU fans were hoping for after the Pirates statistically had one of the worst offenses in all of college football.

After parting ways with his longtime friend, Head Coach Mike Houston was soon to hire former Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach John David Baker from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) as their new Offensive Coordinator on Dec. 1 2023.

During his three years with the Rebels, Baker oversaw an Ole Miss offense that produced two of the top five seasons in total offense in program history. David Baker's offense ranked third in the SouthEastern Conference in yards per game with 462 in his final season with the Rebels.

Other changes to the coaching staff were on the way, with the second being the hire of a new Offensive Line Coach in Matt Maddox. Maddox has 20 years of coaching experience. Mattox has coached in seven bowl games and nine conference championship teams with teams like the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of South Florida, and the University of Texas.

Houston continued its hiring frenzy for assistant coaches on Dec. 14 with the addition of new running backs coach Rodney Freeman from Utah State University and new tight end coach Hunter MacKay from Ole Miss. Last year, Freeman managed a running back group that averaged 186 rushing yards per game, while MacKay recently completed a two-year stint with the Rebels as an offensive line graduate assistant and analyst.

Damon Magazu, a lifetime Pirate, has returned to Greenville, North Carolina to serve as Houston's new safeties coach. Magazu played for ECU from 2010 to 2013, finishing his career with 265 tackles and 11 interceptions, the most notable of which came against North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson in the Pirate endzone, preserving ECU's 33-27 overtime victory at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Magazu returns to ECU after spending three years at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). While at UNLV this past season, he helped the passing defense allow only 239 passing yards per game, while also accumulating 17 interceptions.

Along with the new additions to the coaching staff, Houston has been aggressive in bringing in more talent through the transfer portal. Despite the fact that the Pirates have also lost crucial players to the transfer window, the roster revamp has been eye-opening. Here is an up-to-date list of all the players that have left or joined the ECU squad.

Transferred In

-Redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser (Michigan State)

-Junior defensive end Ryheem Craig (Louisville)

-Sophomore wide receiver Anthony Smith (North Carolina State)

-Sophomore linebacker Dameon Wilson (Missouri)

-Sophomore wide receiver O’Mega Blake (South Carolina)

-Senior wide receiver Winston Wright Jr. (Florida State)

-Sophomore offensive lineman Darius Bell (Maine)

-Freshman offensive lineman Qae’shon Sapp (Florida State)

-Sophomore defensive back Andrew Wilson-Lamp (West Virginia)

-Senior defensive tackle Jaden McKenzie (Ohio State)

-Sophomore defensive back Gavin Gibson (Maryland)

-Redshirt junior quarterback Jake Garcia (Missouri)

-Junior tight end Casey Kelly (Oregon)

Transferred Out

-Sophomore quarterback Mason Garcia

-Junior offensive lineman Isaiah Foote

-Freshman offensive lineman Elisha Samples

-Junior defensive tackle Jason Shuford

-Freshman wide receiver Zion Agnew

-Freshman offensive lineman Omari Allen

-Sophomore defensive tackle Xavier McIver

-Sophomore defensive back Ty Moss

-Sophomore running back Joseph McKay

-Sophomore offensive lineman Richard Pearce

-Junior linebacker Teylor Jackson

-Junior linebacker RaRa Dillworth

-Freshman defensive back Antoine Jackson

-Senior running back Gerald Green