Pirates Don Shells For First Time | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of ECU Sports.


    GREENVILLE, N.C.     Following a pair of introductory workouts in shorts and helmets, East Carolina moved to the second phase of fall camp donning shoulder pads for the first time as the Pirates completed their third session on Hight Field inside the Cliff Moore Practice Complex Friday morning.

    With temperatures in the lower-80's under partly cloudy skies to begin with, fourth-year head coach Mike Houston guided the Pirates through a two-hour practice that featured the season's first contact in all three phases of the game.

    After their customary group sessions on the field, the Pirates wrapped up the workout by conducting a 30-minute team-on-team segment that featured one's versus one's, then the second and third teams going against one another.

    Of the Pirates' 14 positional starters, one special teams' member and 50 returning lettermen, several players have earned preseason recognition from a variety of media outlets and added to watch lists:

• Holton Ahlers (QB): Wuerffel Trophy WL, Athlon Sports AAC Fourth Team
• Myles Berry (LB): Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Third Team
• Rick D'Abreu (DL): Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Second Team
• Owen Daffer (K): Lou Groza WL, Athlon Sports AAC Second Team, Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Second Team,
• Malik Fleming (CB): Athlon Sports AAC Second Team, Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC First Team
• Rahjai Harris (RB): Athlon Sports AAC Fourth Team
• Noah Henderson (OL): Athlon Sports AAC Third Team, Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Second Team
• Immanuel Hickman (DL): Athlon Sports AAC Third Team
• CJ Johnson (WR): Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Third Team, Athlon Sports AAC Fourth Team
• Avery Jones (C): Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Third Team
• Ryan Jones (TE): John Mackey WL, Athlon Sports AAC First Team, Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Third Team
• Jeremy Lewis (LB): Athlon Sports AAC Third Team
• Keaton Mitchell (RB): Doak Walker WL, Maxwell Award WL, Athlon Sports AAC First Team, Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC First Team
• Elijah Morris (DL): Athlon Sports AAC Fourth Team
• Xavier Smith (LB): Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Third Team, Athlon Sports AAC Fourth Team
• Jireh Wilson (LB): NFF Bill Dooley Chapter Scholar-Athlete, Phil Steele's Football Preview AAC Third Team, Athlon Sports AAC Fourth Team

    ECU will return to action Saturday and Monday mornings for another pair of sessions in shoulder pads leading up to its first practice in full pads on Tuesday.