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Blake Harrell, who is in his fifth year at East Carolina, was officially named the programs 23rd head football coach on Nov. 27, 2024.
 
Harrell, the program’s interim head coach since Oct. 20 and the squad’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach since his initial hire in January of 2020, has led the Pirates (7-4, 5-2 AAC) to four consecutive wins over Temple, Florida Atlantic, Tulsa and North Texas and has helped ECU secure 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.  
 
Through 13 weeks of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) regular season, East Carolina ranks ninth in defensive touchdowns scored (three), 10th in tackles for loss (7.5 per game), 12th in passing yards per completion (13.94), 14th in turnovers gained (20), 18th in passing offense (278.7 yards per game) and interceptions (13), 20th in kickoff returns (24.50 yards per return), 25th in total offense (440.9 yards per game), 28th in scoring offense (33.6 points per game), 30th in red zone conversion percentage defense (0.775), 32nd in first down offense (245) and 35th in fumbles recovered (seven). 
 
A 2021 Broyles Award Nominee, Harrell has spearheaded a turnaround for a Pirate defensive unit that surrendered just 27.3 points per game from 2020-23 – East Carolina’s best four-year total since 2012-15. He has mentored eight All-American Athletic Conference Team selections as well as 2022 All-American Ja’Quan McMillian during his time in Greenville.
 
In 2023, his defense established the Pirates’ best marks since 2019 in points per game allowed (22.4), pass yards allowed (219.2) and total yards allowed (341.1) while finishing among the FBS national leaders (top 30) in seven statistical categories: fourth down conversion percentage (fourth/0.333), first down defense (11th/212), defensive touchdowns (15th/three), fumbles recovered (16th/10), tackles for loss (17th/7.0), red zone conversion percentage (19th/0.762) and rush defense (29th/122.2).
 
Under Harrell’s mentorship, defensive back Julius Wood earned 2023 All-AAC first-team honors after connecting on 87 total tackles (three for loss), three pass breakups and a pair of interceptions. He then signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2024. Defensive lineman D’Anta Johnson and cornerback Shavon Revel also earned All-AAC Second Team accolades while outside linebacker Jeremy Lewis collected All-AAC Third Team laurels.
 
Harrell’s group really excelled in 2022 as the defense stood among the FBS leaders in rushing defense (18th/112.5), red zone defense (35th/0.800) and fourth down conversion percentage (39th/0.455). Cornerback Malik Fleming garnered All-AAC Second Team recognition after compiling 41 tackles (2.5 for loss), six pass deflections and three interceptions. ECU ended the campaign with an 8-5 overall record following a 53-29 victory over Coastal Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl.
 
The 2021 defense slotted 11th in the FBS statistical rankings in third down conversion percentage defense (0.322), 14th in interceptions (15), 25th in defensive touchdowns (2), 26th in first downs defense (232), 30th in turnovers gained (21) and 35th in red zone defense (0.780) while holding three opponents under 100 rushing yards (South Carolina/99, Houston/83, Temple/99) and two foes under 100 passing yards (Temple/69, Navy/37). McMillian collected All-America Second Team honors (AP, FWAA, The Athletic, Sporting News, Phil Steele) after racking up 56 tackles (four for loss), 16 pass deflections and five interceptions. The two-time All-AAC selection (2020/2022) ended up signing with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent. Linebacker Bruce Bivens was also tabbed to the All-AAC Second Team.
 
During his first campaign in charge of the defense, Harrell directed a unit that ranked among the FBS leaders in fumbles recovered (25th/eight best at ECU since 2012), turnovers gained (25th/18), interceptions (29th/10), fourth down conversion percentage (35th/0.471), third down conversion percentage (36th/0.372) and defensive touchdowns (40th/one). The squad’s immediate improvement was evident as it bettered its marks from the 2019 season in total defense (447.3 yards per game from 469.3), rushing defense (201.3 yards per game from 207.8) and passing defense (246 yards per game from 261.6).
 
Defensive lineman Elijah Morris finished the year tied for third nationally (FBS) in fumble recoveries (3) while Jireh Wilson (LB) tied for No. 16 in forced fumbles per game (0.33). McMillian was selected to the All-AAC Second Team and inside linebacker Xavier Smith garnered an honorable mention nod.
 
Before accepting his position on the East Carolina coaching staff, Harrell spent one season (2019) as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Kennesaw State, helping lead the Owls to an 11-3 mark, a second round Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff showing 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 established four school records. Kennesaw State also ranked among the best at the FCS level, standing 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 the Big South Defensive Player-of-the-Year after recording 95 tackles and 12.0 TFLs. Armstrong was also one of four Owl defenders to earn all-league 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 defenses sparked 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 as the program embarked on its most successful run in school history.
 
The Citadel held five opponents to less than 100 rushing yards during the 2018 campaign and led the SoCon in first down 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 first-half points at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Tide's lowest halftime total of the year.
 
Harrell's units consistently created takeaways during his time at The Citadel, racking up 83 in the last four years - including 31 during Houston's last season as head coach in 2015 to rank No. 3 in the country. His teams forced at least 17 turnovers in each of the last four seasons, an average of nearly two per game during the stretch.
 
The Citadel boasted one of the top 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 rolled off a program-record 10-game winning streak, a single-season school-record six road victories and a No. 6 national postseason seed.
 
Harrell worked seven years at Lenoir-Rhyne University and handled a myriad of responsibilities such as defensive run game coordinator, special teams coordinator, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2007 to 2013.
 
In his final season at LR, Harrell helped the Bears reach the NCAA Division II National Championship Game, establish a school record with 13 wins and earn a final No. 2 national rank. Defensively, Lenoir-Rhyne led the South Atlantic Conference in total defense, rushing defense, quarterback sacks and scoring defense.
 
Prior to LR, Harrell coached the 2005 and 2006 seasons at Franklin (N.C.) High School where he had oversight of the secondary and added defensive coordinator duties in 2006. Harrell was part of an FHS squad that was 22-4 over those two seasons, and his '06 defense held opponents to just nine points per game.
 
Harrell also coached at Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) High School in 2004 and McDowell (N.C.) 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.