EAST CAROLINA FOOTBALL: NATIONAL SIGNING DAY IS UPON US

4th Annual Pirate Football Recruiting Pig Pickin' and Signing Day Fan Fest

CUSA Fans ECU Correspondent Thomas "Bubba" Rosenbaum tells us about the 2007 ECU football recruiting class and events.

In only his second season at the helm, Skip Holtz led East Carolina to a 7-6 finish and an appearance in the inaugural PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, AL.

Skip Holtz will unveil the newest East Carolina Pirates during "Signing Day Fan Fest" inside Harvey Hall at the Murphy Center.  The event will begin at 5pm.

That on field success has certainly benefited Holtz and his staff on the recruiting trail.

Last year’s signing class was considered by many to be the best in Conference USA. Unless there are some last minute defections, this group should be even better. Recently, the “recruiting gurus” at ESPN Insider considered it to be a borderline top 40 class. This is largely due to the supreme job that Holtz and his staff has done within the state of North Carolina—particularly in their own backyard. Nearly 80 percent of the Pirates’ commitments are from the “ Old North State”. However, while few, there also appear to be some out-of-state gems that will likely shine in eyes of Pirate fans over the coming years.

While the results have been promising to date, bear in mind that nothing is official until each prospect puts his John Hancock on the dotted line on his respective letters of intent. “National Signing Day”, which is one of the most anticipated days in the college football world, is next Wednesday, February 7 th and marks the first day that prospects can sign.

Diehard East Carolina fans will tailgate behind Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium's North Stands (Upper Deck side) on Wednesday afternoon to discuss and celebrate the announcement of their 2007 football recruiting class.  The pig pickin' begins at Noon.

Three years ago, some diehard fans began the tradition of celebrating this long awaited day by tailgating while engaging in Pirate fellowship. This event has grown each year and will be bigger and better than ever this time around! Anyone who has a purple heart is encouraged to come out and join in on the fun. The festivities will begin at Noon in the parking lot located behind the North stands (upper deck side) at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. There will be a smorgasbord of food on hand, which will include Eastern North Carolina’s favorite delicacy of barbecue. Those attending need only to bring their beverage of choice and a chair.

Various members of the East Carolina coaching staff will make periodic appearances throughout the afternoon to brief those on hand of the latest signees.

At 5 p.m., the East Carolina Athletic Department will be hosting “Signing Day Fan Fest”. This function will be held at Harvey Hall inside the Murphy Center. Skip Holtz and his staff will be on hand to officially unveil their signing class. They will announce and detail each signee prior to concluding the gala with video footage of the newest additions to the program.

As coaches often say, recruiting is the lifeblood of any program and the Pirates’ pulse continues to increase as a result of Skip Holtz’ third signing class.