The East Carolina Pirates made a coaching change, relieving Mike Houston of his duties following the Week 8 loss to Army. ECU had lost four of its five previous games after starting the season 2-0 against inferior opponents.
Who takes over for Houston at what is, admittedly, a tough job as an FBS head coach?
Replacement Candidates for Mike Houston at ECU
Chris Marve (Virginia Tech Defensive Coordinator)
We’ll get right to the realistic candidates for ECU here, and it starts with Chris Marve, currently serving as Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator. Marve, at just 35 years old, is an ascending coach in the FBS ranks and has worked his way up from his playing days at Vanderbilt from 2007-2001 all the way to DC of the Hokies.
He got his first job as defensive quality control analyst for his alma mater in 2014 and was quickly promoted to Graduate Assistant in 2015 and Linebackers coach in 2016. He was hired by Mississippi State in 2019 and Florida State in 2020 to run the same position group, before Brent Pry plucked him as his defensive coordinator in Blacksburg.
Marve runs a hybrid 4-3 defense with 4-2-5 tendencies. He asks his linebackers to do a lot, so ECU would have to recruit a new wealth of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but this hire would ultimately come down to whether the Pirates administration wants to take a leap of faith with an up-and-coming play caller or go with a proven talent at head coach.
If they do, you better believe Marve will have that team energized and extremely interesting to watch.
In 2023, Marve’s defense ranked 10th in sacks, second in the ACC in total defense, and top-20 across the entire country.
Fontel Mines (Virginia Tech Associate Head Coach)
On the other side of realistic hires, current Virginia Tech Associate head Coach Fontel Mines also comes to mind. Mines, a decorated recruiter, would give the Pirates a leg up in terms of plucking talent from the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) as well as a program builder.
He would also be a legacy hire as Mines spent the 2019-20 seasons as the recruiting coordinator for ECU. Mines also has ties to the former regime at ECU, working with former head coach Houston at JMU back in 2018.
There’s an unappreciated familiarity amongst former coaching teammates and Mines would be a seamless replacement for Houston, his former mentor.
Des Kitchings (Virginia Offensive Coordinator)
A native of the Carolinas, Des Kitchings is a decorated offensive coach. If ECU wants to get fresh, new, and exciting on offense, bringing in someone with Kitchings’ experience and resume would be ideal.
Kitchings currently serves as Virginia’s offensive coordinator, but a rash of injuries and tragedy has marred his time there. Yet, he’s still shown he can tutor and lead the Cavs to unprecedented success with that of true freshman QB Anthony Colandrea in 2023.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
Previous to his stint at UVA, Kitchings spent time with the Atlanta Falcons and had a terrific stint at NC State. His recruiting range stems from Tennessee to Florida and perhaps the entire East Coast at this rate.
It’s a different way to take the program, but Kitchings’ way of doing business would be good for ECU.
Keith Gaither (Virginia Special Teams Coordinator)
We’re sticking with the ‘come from Virginia’ theme here with our replacements for Houston. Keith Gaither currently serves as the special teams coordinator for Virginia, but his speciality has been skill players in recent years.
Like Kitchings, Gaither has ties to ECU as he was the wide receivers coach from 2017-18, producing first-team all-conference receiver Trevon Brown. He’s proven to be a sound recruiter over the years as well, and Gaither would bring a sense of professionalism and all-around team building to the program.
Joker Phillips (NC State Associate Head Coach)
If you need to be introduced to Joker Phillips, then I am surprised you’ve read this far. A longtime college football coach, Phillips got his start in 1988 with the Kentucky Wildcats and has had stints at nine different colleges and one NFL team.
Phillips is the first on our list of candidates that has had major college football head coaching duties to his credit, serving as the head coach of Kentucky from 2010-12. He’s long since been one of the best recruiters in the nation and has no trouble elevating the talent he has under his tutelage.
As a former receiver himself, Phillips’ specialty is on the outside with his pass catchers, and he’s coached some terrific players in the past at the position. Though his final year at Kentucky finished with a winless record in SEC play at Kentucky, Phillips’ reputation proceeds him and he’ll likely be given every shot at the ECU gig for good reason.
James Adams (Wake Forest Associate Head Coach)
The Dave Clawson Era at Wake Forest is likely coming to a close. And yes, we have Clawson as a legitimate candidate below (even if it’s a bit far-fetched and costly), but the most realistic way forward for ECU is to have James Adams take over the program.
Adams has been Clawson’s associate head coach since 2022 when he was brought in to coach the safeties. The real kicker to Adams’ candidacy at ECU would be who he wants to bring with him as his offensive coordinator as it’s clear the Pirates want to go in a different direction on offense.
FREE: Sign up for the College Football Network Newsletter to receive unique stories from the world of college football directly to your inbox!
Does Adams bring Warren Ruggiero with him or does Ruggerio also garner interest? Or maybe Adams brings someone from his previous tenure at Purdue, Navy, Western Michigan, or Charlotte with him.
Either way, Adams is a certified winner and a true developer of talent. At every stint so far, the Durham native has elevated the talent on his defenses and turned heads in the process. Adams should be on the shortlist for the ECU job immediately.
Kerwin Bell (WCU Head Coach)
A noted winner at just about every level, Kerwin Bell would make the trek from Cullowhee to Greenville across the state, but it would make the most sense. Bell is in his fourth year as the head coach of Western Carolina, compiling a 21-19 record with the Catamounts and a 114-61 career record as a head coach.
His previous stints include a National Championship at Valdosta State in 2018 and head coaching gigs at Trinity Catholic High School, Jacksonville University, and an OC stop at USF.
Bell is proven to be a program builder and a good one at that. The former quarterback himself specializes in offense and would likely be considered a safe hire for the Pirates. Bell could assemble quite a staff while also bringing a terrific improvement to recruiting for the program.
Kade Bell (Pittsburgh Offensive Coordinator)
Sticking with the family, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kade Bell was interviewed for every opening this season. ECU could capitalize on that and get in early with Bell, Kerwin’s son, after he’s shown he can dominate as an offensive coordinator and has a decorated head coach as his pedigree.
Bell has turned the Pittsburgh offense around in a very short amount of time and has been in charge of an offense since 2018, despite only being 31 years old.
If Bell were to get the job, his staff would be integral toward his success in the early stages of his head coaching career. For Bell, it’s likely not a matter of ‘if’ he gets tabbed as a head coach; it’s when. Would ECU be wise to be the first to give Bell his shot?
Dave Clawson (Wake Forest Head Coach)
It’s clear that the Clawson Era has run its course in Winston-Salem. But that’s no indictment on Clawson’s ability to coach a program.
Imagine running the slow mesh and building a program without the restrictions on scholarships and requirements of the talent to bring in, and then multiply what you think those effects could be for Clawson at ECU.
What Clawson has built in Winston-Salem is extraordinary, given all the confines he has to work within. This is a long shot for ECU, given Clawson’s buyout terms (though not publicly available, are rumored to be incredibly high). If Clawson and ECU do strike up a deal, they’ll probably be best to wait out the end of his tenure at Wake Forest, and hope for a mutual parting of ways with the two.
Either way, Clawson and Wake seem to be heading toward a break-up, and ECU could reap the rewards.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.