The running back trio of Rahjai Harris, Keaton Mitchell and Pop McKay hope to make a big splash in a new campaign that begins next Thursday against Appalachian State in Charlotte.
Harris led the Pirates in rushing with 624 yards in his 128 carries with four touchdowns for just under five yards per clip including his longest of 80 yards in a Covid-19 shortened season.
At 5-10, 224, Harris packs a punch and also has good speed making him an ever dangerous ball carrier for East Carolina.
"I'm super excited. We started the season last year a little shaky. It got better towards the end against SMU with a big win so the momentum," Harris told PirateIllustrated.com, "So the momentum carried over to the spring and into the fall. The fall camp just finished and we're super excited for App. State."
"We've been working, we've all gotten better and we've all bought in as a family so I think we're ready."
Harris says he feels the best he has felt in a long time after a year of getting bigger and stronger and he comes in with a great deal of confidence this season and is looking to move ECU to the next level in both AAC play and overall this fall.
"I got faster, slimmed down a little bit and lost a lot of body fat. It's been a great offseason."
"Coach Houston has really instilled in us every day to be better no matter what. Everybody talks about the SMU game and that's good. We did a good job but we can't hang our hat right there," said Harris, "I feel like this team has so much more in them and we're going to show a lot of people this year."
The 5-10, 224 pounder communication major out of Duncan, S.C. outlined what ECU has to do in order to be successful in the season opener against the Mountaineers.
"One word, discipline. We've just got to be disciplined this game," said Harris, "They've got some great guys on defense and I know a couple of their guys who are from the Upstate of South Carolina where I'm from. I know what kind of program they have at App. State so I know what kind of players they are. They're a great defense and have a great defensive coordinator so we're just going to have to play our game."
Keaton Mitchell ran for 443 yards and five yards a carry last season for the Pirates with a pair of touchdowns in his 88 carries as a freshman and has break away speed and the ability to find the hole.
"I'm very excited. We've all put in the work on and off the field. I think we're ready. We just have to follow the game plan and trust what the coaches have us doing," Mitchell told PI, "We're bigger and way faster than we were last year. We're more together so I think against Appalachian State, it's going to be a show."
"Offensively we're clicking more. The timing with the receivers and the quarterback is there way better than last year. I think the offensive line has stepped up, all of the wide receivers that are playing this year are stepping up. Me and Rahjai are stepping up and when we click, I don't think there is nobody who can stop us."
"The offensive line has improved a lot. They're bigger and faster, they know the game and know what they can do," said Mitchell, "If they give me and Rahjai a crease it's off to the races after that. We've all gotten faster, we've all gotten stronger under Big John and we've all just improved together."
In high school, Mitchell led Eagles Landing Christian to four straight Georgia 1A titles, going a combined 54-2 and 27-1 in region play and rushed for 4,347 yards in his high school career for 155 yards a game to go along with 88 touchdowns so he knows how to win.
He insists that the Pirates are itching to get started agains someone besides themselves and gives the impression that that good things are on the horizon.
"We're just ready to play. We've been competing all off season with each other, so when we get together we're going to do something special this first game."
Another name to watch is Joseph 'Pop' McKay who has looked solid in camp this fall and hopes to add to the mix of ECU running backs this fall starting with the first contest in Charlotte against Appalachian State.
At 6-0, 209 McKay, who is out of Phenix City, Alabama, has the ability to run over people and also can do some damage in the open field as well. He along with former walk-on Maceo Donald out of East Carteret who was just put on scholarship last week are additional names to watch this season in the backfield.
Last week ECU added 5-9, 200 pound Lorenzo Dorr who transferred over from West Virginia. Dorr is a grad student that is originally out of Fredricksburg, Virginia where he played at Riverbend High. He too could eventually be a factor as the season progresses.
The Pirates open the season this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. when they take on Appalachian State in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Stay tuned to PirateIllustrated.com for continuing coverage of ECU football.
