East Carolina University announced today that head football coach Ruffin McNeill has been fired, effective immediately, according to the school's website.
"After deliberate evaluation, the decision has been made to move our football program in a different direction with new leadership," said athletic director Jeff Compher. "We are appreciative of the hard work, dedication and contribution Coach McNeill and his staff have made to both East Carolina University and our community."
McNeill led the Pirates to a 5-7 record this season, but finished in second to last place in the east division of the American Athletic Conference. In his six years as the Pirates head coach, McNeill had three winning seasons, including posting 10 wins and a bowl win during the 2013 season.
The AAC is clearly becoming a stronger conference in college football, and programs like Houston are locking up top-tier coaches like Tom Herman. ECU likely felt a change was necessary, as there were no signs of improvement coming in the near future.
While McNeill deserves some of the blame, it's hard not to take into account the fact that the Pirates lost their starting quarterback before the season even started when Kurt Benkert suffered a season-ending knee injury and did not even play a snap this season.
It will be interesting to see where East Carolina looks for its next head coach, as there will be plenty of competition on the market for top coaches. Many of the top candidates around the country already signed deals, and the Pirates will likely move fast with the search for their next head coach.
