As the beginning of a new season and a new ECU football coaching era under Mike Houston approaches, PirateIllustrated.com continues our series of assistant coach interviews.

In this segment, new running backs coach De’Rail Sims, linebackers coach Byron Thweatt and receivers coach Drew Dudzik join us to give an ECU football progress report.

It’s thirteen minutes of football enlightenment about an upcoming Pirate team that is making progress and is hoping to get back to the proud tradition that makes ECU football great.

The Pirates open up the season against one of their key in-state rivals in N.C. State. That will prove to be one of the biggest tests of the season when the two teams square off in Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on August 31.

PI AUDIO: ASST COACHES SIMS, THWEATT & DUDZIK PREVIEW ECU FOOTBALL