“We received communication from Virginia Tech late Friday afternoon concerning the future of our football series and were notified, contrary to our existing contracts, it would not play ECU in Greenville during the 2019, 2023 and 2025 seasons,” Gilbert said. “While this is disappointing, especially from a regional interest standpoint and given our long-standing partnership, ECU’s decision not to travel to Blacksburg last September was based on imminent safety concerns related to Hurricane Florence, which tragically claimed multiple fatalities and devastated many North Carolina communities that are still in the recovery process today. Ultimately, the decision was made for the safety and welfare of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and their families and that will always be our top priority.”
This shows blatant disrespect for the safety and welfare of the ECU student athletes and their families, the ECU staff and their families, and the people of North Carolina in general. It shows VT to be callous and vindictive; I would not want to give them consideration to engage in collegiate sports of any kind were I any of the schools that do engage tham in athletics. I understand they are in the ACC and UNC, NC State, and Duke must play them; but were I the president of any of those schools, I would lobby the league to consider allow avoidance.
“No. Hell no,” said Gerlach, who emphasized that Connecticut’s plan to leave the AAC is costing the Huskies $17 million in exit fees, during an ECU special Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 1. “That is not on the table to do that with us. That is money we would not be able to spend on anything else for the student experience.”
UConn and the AAC recently negotiated a deal for the Huskies to return to the Big East on July 1, 2020. UConn’s main motivators for the move included geography and basketball.
ECU does plan on exploring guarantee games — commonly referred to as “buy games” — in major revenue sports football and men’s basketball. Guarantee game contracts involve a team earning a one-time payment to travel to a school from a Power Five conference, without the traveling school receiving a return trip for an even home-and-home setup.
Pirate athletics director Jon Gilbert said he is looking at the Pirates’ 2023 football schedule for that lucrative opportunity.
“It will be a team that makes sense from a resource standpoint,” he said Wednesday. “It will be with bigger schools. … I agree that we are going to need to play one or two here and there, from a funding standpoint. You don’t want that to be bread and butter and you need to be mindful when you do it.”
Gilbert added that all ECU team budgets are in the bottom third of the AAC, with baseball as the only exception as it is in the top third.
A UCLA 4* grad transfer who never saw the field?!! These kids who only consider big name programs are losing out of playing time when they think they can compete with so many other 4 and 5 stars on the same team. smh
5. Holton Ahlers, quarterback: There has been some talk about quarterback separation, and it is hard to not look at the three rushing touchdowns and 118 yards on six carries by Ahlers last Saturday. The 6-3, 235-pound left-hander led the Pirates in rushing as a freshman a year ago and he did it again already in a scrimmage. Having Reid Herring available and ready to play is important, but it would be a surprise at this point if Ahlers is not the Pirates’ starter and emotional leader to begin the season.
Powell was a freshman DB out of Atlanta who was supposed to see time on special teams and possibly in the secondary this season. Harris was a sophomore LB that was the backup WILL.