Monday Morning Update >>ECU has formally announced the hire of Mike Houston to lead the program and he's signed a five-year deal.
James Madison has announced that head coach Mike Houston is leaving the program. As we've been sharing the past week or so, ECU has been making a push to bring Houston in to lead their program, and 247 is reporting that Houston will be the next head coach of the Pirates.
Charlotte had originally made a run for the services of coach Houston, but ECU moving on from the Scottie Montgomery era threw a wrench into those plans.
Houston took over a James Madison program in 2016 and led the program to a FCS national title in his first season, finishing the season 14-0. They were able to pick up right where they left off in 2017, going 14-0 before losing to powerhouse North Dakota State in the FCS national title game. This season, Houston led the program to a 9-4 finish where they bowed out of the FCS playoff to a tough Colgate squad this past weekend 20-23.
As a head coach, with previous stops at The Citadel and Lenoir-Rhyne, Houston holds an impressive 80-25 record as a head coach, with just one losing season (5-7 in his first season at The Citadel in 2014) in eight total seasons leading three different college programs.
Greg Madia also helped to break the news.
With recruiting ties to the region, it will be interesting to keep track of the staff Houston puts together for his first foray into major college football. ECU is a place with a solid tradition that guys like Skip Holtz have used as a stepping stone to other jobs.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.