ECU Football: Can Holton Ahlers lead Pirates to postseason in 2020?

Defense has plenty of room for improvement

The East Carolina defense was horrible last season and the Pirates are turning to Kennesaw State defensive coordinator Blake Harrell to fix the issues on that side of the ball.

The defensive line is not going to be very experienced, as they return only one of the top five linemen from last year. The front will also look different because Harrell is bringing in the 3-4 defense. Two of the three projected starters on the defensive line are both a sophomore and a freshman, so this defense is is going to experience growing pains up front.

The linebackers are going to be a strength and they will be spearheaded by last year’s leading tackler Xavier Smith Gerard Stringer and Bruce Bivens will also be back and they were two of the better playmakers on the defense.

One of the big questions that this front-seven will have to face is how to get a consistent pass rush, Kendall Futrell had 11 sacks for the Pirates a year ago and now he is with the Bengals.

The secondary was like the receiving corps last season in that they were super young in every area. Unlike the receivers, the secondary did not show flashes of the potential that they did.

Safety Davondre Robinson is back after having three interceptions last season and he is one of the seniors that this coaching staff will hope can lead a turnaround. Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillan is going to be the lone returning starter at the position and he also had three interceptions last season.

All of those growing pains that the secondary went through last season should be payed back a little bit, even though the talent is questionable.