East Carolina bolstered its defensive roster on Sunday, addressing two key positions of need by securing commitments from cornerback Key Crowell and EDGE rusher Kendrick DuJour following their official visits. The commitments cap off a strong recruiting weekend for the Pirates.
Crowell, a standout at Division II University of Indianapolis, had an impressive true freshman season. The Lebanon, Tenn., native recorded five interceptions, including a pick-six, 51 tackles, and earned first-team all-conference honors in 2024. He entered the transfer portal on Dec. 26 and visited ECU over the weekend, choosing the Pirates over offers from Memphis, Bowling Green, Troy, Western Michigan, and others. With three years of eligibility remaining, Crowell is expected to compete for a starting role next season. He joins Western Carolina FCS All-American Jordy Lowery in revamping a secondary depleted by the departures of projected first-round pick Shavon Revel, starter Isaiah Brown-Murray, and part-time contributors Dontavius Nash and Andrew Wilson-Lamp.
DuJour, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound EDGE rusher, played outside linebacker at Sam Houston State last season, tallying three sacks. He began his college career at North Carolina Central, where he redshirted in 2022 before making significant strides as a redshirt freshman in 2023. DuJour had 10 pressures and three sacks on 94 pass-rush snaps for Sam Houston State in 2024, earning a 72.3 Pro Football Focus defensive grade. He also made 15 stops at or behind the line of scrimmage and logged a 65.5 run defense grade. With two years of eligibility left, DuJour chose ECU over Georgia State and UTEP.
ECU’s EDGE group is set to return key players like defensive end J.D. Lampley and outside linebackers Ryheem Craig and Samuel Dankah, providing depth and experience alongside DuJour.
The Pirates also added Tennessee-Martin defensive tackle Xavier McIver, who announced his return to ECU earlier on Sunday. McIver previously played for ECU from 2020-2023 before transferring to UT-Martin.
The Pirates are coming off an 8-5 season, highlighted by a 26-21 victory over NC State in the Military Bowl. Former defensive coordinator Blake Harrell has been promoted to head coach and has brought in Josh Aldridge, previously Liberty’s defensive coordinator and an Auburn assistant, to lead the defense moving forward.
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