2026 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 1: East Carolina
East Carolina football is in a unique spot.
Mike Houston was the Pirates' head coach from 2019-24 and only had two seasons above .500. After a 3-4 start in 2024, ECU fired him and promoted defensive coordinator Blake Harrell to fill his role. East Carolina finished the season 8-5 (5-1 under Harrell) and went on to win the Military Bowl.
Fast forward to 2025, Harrell led the Pirates to a 9-4 record, including a 6-2 performance in American conference play - both of which were the best marks since 2013 - and a second consecutive Military Bowl victory.
East Carolina definitely seems to be on the rise, but its success comes with a price in today's college sports and NIL-filled world. The Pirates are returning 42 percent of their production from last season, which ranks 110th of 138 FBS teams. 33 percent of the offense is back (122nd in the country) and 50 percent of the defense returned (75th).
The Pirates only have a couple of returning starters, as their quarterback, running back, two offensive linemen, a defensive tackle and two members of the secondary were among those who transferred to bigger programs. Many other starters exhausted their collegiate eligibility, leaving Harrell with a new-look roster for 2026.
On top of it all, ECU will face Alabama on the road in the season opener. Here's an early look at the Crimson Tide's Week 1 opponent.
Offense
Alabama isn't the only program with a two-man quarterback battle on its hands. ECU has a decision to make between a pair of offseason transfer additions: Mitch Griffis from Texas Tech and Emory Williams from Miami.
Griffis holds the advantage in terms of age and playing experience, as before his one year as a backup with the Red Raiders, he attended Wake Forest from 2020-23 (he transferred to Marshall in 2024 but stepped away that June). Griffis played in 19 games (10 starts) with the Demon Deacons and completed 157 of 263 passes (59.7 percent) for 1,957 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 141 yards on 123 carries (1.1 yards per carry) with two scores.
Williams will be a redshirt junior this season, but he hasn't seen much time on the field. He played in 12 total games at Miami and completed 73 of his 116 pass attempts (62.9 percent) for 813 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
North Texas transfer Ashton Gray has a good shot to be the starting running back. The redshirt sophomore played in 12 games last season as the Mean Green's No. 3 back and rushed for 383 yards and five touchdowns on 58 carries (6.5 yards per carry). The 6-foot, 208-pounder is a pure runner, as he only logged one catch for nine yards in 2025. Michael Allen, a redshirt senior transfer, is also someone to watch in the RB room.
The Pirates lost their top-2 receivers from last season, and No. 3 Brock Spalding aims for a leadership role as a redshirt senior after tallying 42 receptions for 554 yards and three touchdowns. Landon Sides is another transfer from North Texas who could make some noise, as he started in 13 games last season and logged 34 catches for 449 yards a score. The third starting wide receiver spot is up for grabs between Ray Ray Joseph Jr., who had 14 catches in three seasons at Miami, Jeremiah Melvin, who had three receptions at Wake Forest last year, plus returners Jaquaize Pettaway and Tyler Johnson, who combined for 20 catches in 2025.
Ismael Smith Flores and Kanen Hamlett will battle for the tight end spot. Smith Flores, a redshirt junior, hauled in 20 passes for 244 yards and six touchdowns with Texas Rio Grande Valley last season after two years of minimal playing time at Nebraska. Hamlett played in all 13 games at Appalachian State, but started in just one of them. The redshirt senior finished with 13 catches for 142 yards and two scores.
The offensive line will also look very different, but the left side of it might be established with redshirt junior returners Marleo Neolien, who had one start and mostly played on special teams, and Bryce Weaver, who started in three contests last season. Brandon Best, another Appalachian State transfer, is the one to watch on this offensive line, as he earned First-Team All-Conference USA honors last season. Redshirt seniors Ethan Kramer and Hayes Creel should take the right side of the line, as they started in all of their games in 2025 at Northern Arizona and Southern Miss, respectively.
Defense
ECU also runs a 4-2-5 defense, and unlike the offense, the Pirates' expected starters on the defensive line were all on the team last season. Defensive end Jasiyah Robinson started in 11 games and was third on the team in sacks (5.0) and second in tackles for loss (6.5). Defensive tackle Preston Carr only started in one game, but he had just about the same amount of snaps as Robinson and his 31 tackles (5.0 for loss) and 2.0 sacks back that up.
Defensive tackle Rion Roseborough was in a similar spot as Carr, but his numbers were slightly lower across the board (16 tackles, 6.0 for loss, 2.0 sacks. Julien Davis will mostly line up at the edge but occasionally drop back (ECU's version of the wolf linebacker position), and he recorded 23 tackles (2.0 for loss) and 1.5 sacks last season.
DJ Johnson Jr. started in eight of his 13 games played last season and he'll take one of the starting inside linebacker spots once again. Johnson was second on the team in tackles (60), including 5.0 for loss. Memphis transfer Crews Law is expected to take the other starting inside linebacker spot, as he recorded 25 tackles (3.5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks.
The Pirates' secondary looks completely different from last season, and it starts with cornerback Ashton Levells-Mitchell, who started in four of 13 games at Florida International and booked 20 tackles and four pass breakups. Jaylen Bowden only played in three games last season at Minnesota and tallied three tackles, but he seems to be ECU's top option for the other cornerback spot. Inexperience is an overall theme for the cornerbacks.
There could be some competition at the star/nickel position (Alabama calls it "husky"), but Kevon Merrell Jr. should earn the starting spot. Merrell never started but had a significant number of defensive snaps last season, and it resulted in 28 tackles (4.5 for loss), a pair of pass breakups and an interception.
Ayden Duncanson didn't start any games last year at ECU, but he will this year, as he had 33 tackles on just 129 defensive snaps. Perhaps the best player is saved for last, as safety Zyeir Gamble is among the strongest candidates for the award had the second-most tackles (76), including 3.5 for loss, in 12 games for Appalachian State last season. He had a plethora of other impressive numbers as well.
Schedule
Like Alabama, this is also the season opener for East Carolina. Regardless of the conference that their Week 1 opponent resides in, the Pirates haven't had the best of luck in openers. In fact, ECU has only won twice since 2016.
The Pirates' schedule pretty much only gets easier after facing Alabama, as the Tide is their only Power 4 opponent. Old Dominion (Sept. 19), Memphis (Oct. 22), South Florida (Nov. 6) and Army (Nov. 31) are the only programs ECU will face that had winning records last season.
This will be one of three non-conference games that Alabama will play, with Florida State (Sept. 19) and Chattanooga (Nov. 21) being the others. 2026 is the first season of the SEC's newly implemented 9-game conference schedule. The Crimson Tide fell to the Seminoles on the road in Week 1 of last season, which was its first loss in a season opener since 2001.
Outlook
Alabama will be the heavy favorite in this one, as most of the major oddsmakers have given them a point spread of around -25.5. That said, the Crimson Tide was a 13.5-point favorite against Florida State last year, and the Seminoles wound up winning by 14 in Tallahassee.
Not to excuse Alabama from losing to Florida State, but East Carolina, a Conference USA team playing on the road, is very different from an ACC team hosting. The Tide has a couple more months to figure out its position battles, but even if they bleed into the season, there's a good chance a comfortable lead against ECU will occur, and it'll allow DeBoer to experiment with different substitutions, formations and packages.
The Game
Date: Sept. 5
Time: 11 a.m. CT
TV: ABC
Location: Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Series history: Alabama leads 1-0, with the only matchup occurring on Oct. 16, 1998
Last meeting: The Crimson Tide won 23-22 in Tuscaloosa, despite the Pirates outscoring UA 22-2 (Alabama's Kecalf Bailey returned a blocked PAT to the house) in the second half. Alabama quarterback Andrew Zow completed 21 of 35 pass attempts for two touchdowns, while Shaun Alexander rushed for 86 yards and a score on 22 carries. Travis Carroll and Trevis Smith led the way defensively, with a combined 22 tackles, including seven for loss.
The Team
Coach: Blake Harrell, second full season (he was the interim coach for six games in 2024), 14-5 record
Offensive coordinator: Jordan Davis
Defensive coordinator: Jordon Hankins
2025 record: 9-4 (6-2 SEC)
2025 rankings: Total offense (24th), Total defense (25th)
Returning Starters
3 (1 on offense, 2 on defense)
Players to Watch
QB Emory Williams, QB Mitch Griffis, RB Ashton Gray, OL Brandon Best, DL Jasiyah Robinson, LB Crews Law, S Zyeir Gamble
Top Newcomer
There's a ton of choices for "Top Tewcomer" on a team that really can't look any different from the prior season, but safety Zyeir Gamble is among the strongest candidates for the award. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound redshirt junior had the second-most tackles (76), including 3.5 for loss, in 12 games for Appalachian State last season. He also logged four pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and his experience and success could make him an immediate leader.
Biggest Question
Can ECU adapt to a completely different roster from last season?
The School
Location: Greenville, North Carolina
Founded: 1907
Enrollment: 27,153
Nickname: Pirates
Colors: purple and gold
Mascot: Pee Dee the Pirate
The Program
Last time beat Alabama: Never
Last time won American: Never
National championships: None
Playoff Appearances: None
Conference championships: 7 (North State: 1953; Southern: 1966, 1972, 1973, 1976; CUSA: 2008, 2009)
Bowl record: 10-9 (won Military Bowl in 2024 and 2025)
Last season missed bowl: 2023
Heisman trophies: None
2026 NFL Draft:
WR Anthony Smith (Round 7, Pick 218 – Dallas Cowboys)
Last Four Recruiting Class Rankings
No. 93 (2026), No. 77 (2025), No. 76 (2024), No. 66 (2023)
The Schedule
Sept. 5: at Alabama
Sept. 12: vs. Appalachian State
Sept. 19: at Old Dominion
Sept. 26: vs. NC Central
Oct. 10: vs. Rice
Oct. 15: at UAB
Oct. 22: at Memphis
Oct. 31: vs. Temple
Nov. 6: vs. South Florida
Nov. 14: at Charlotte
Nov. 31: at Army
Nov. 27: vs. FAU
This is the first story in BamaCentral's summer preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Alabama football in 2025. Ensuing stories will be published throughout June and early July.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as 2026 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 1: East Carolina.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 6:00 AM.