McNeill faced with staff change prior to start of first fall camp

Mark Nelson was East Carolina’s special teams’ coordinator and defensive ends coach

With the start of practice just a week and a half away, East Carolina special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach Mark Nelson apparently couldn’t resist the urge to get started a little early.

Nelson, who has a wealth of college coaching experience, came to Greenville from the Canadian Football League (CFL) where he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Now, he will leave without ever coaching a game for the Pirates, as he chose to resign after illegally observing a voluntary summer workout.

The self-reported NCAA violation will likely be considered secondary per ECU AD Terry Holland.

First-year head coach Ruffin McNeill must now decide what his next move will be. While he may consider outside candidates, don’t be surprised if a current staff member receives an increase in his responsibility. Running backs coach Clay McGuire served as the Special Teams Coordinator at Texas Tech in 2008.

The Pirates will begin fall practice on August 5th.

> Find a great selection of East Carolina Pirates hats & apparel as well as ECU Merchandise!