East Carolina fires coach Houston amid 3-4 start

East Carolina fired coach Mike Houston on Sunday, one day after falling to 3-4.

Athletic director Jon Gilbert said in a statement that “a change is needed to move the program forward. We have high expectations and those are not changing.”

Houston was hired in 2019 and has gone 27-38 in five-plus seasons at East Carolina. Gilbert noted the program’s back-to-back bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. But since then, East Carolina is 5-14.

The Pirates lost to Army 45-28 on Saturday, a week after a 55-24 loss to Charlotte.

“We are confident we will identify the right leader for our football program,” Gilbert said in his statement. “I believe ECU is a premier job with a passionate fan base, unprecedented support from our Pirate Club donors, and great facilities that continue to improve. Right now, we are focusing on our student-athletes as they compete for a postseason opportunity in the final five regular season games.”

Defensive coordinator Blake Harrell will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.