Football and family

It’s safe to say Noah Holmes was born to play football at ECU.

“I’ve been coming to games since I was in the womb,” he said. “Up until my junior year of high school, I came to every home game.”

ECU, and specifically ECU football, is deeply ingrained in Holmes. His father, Joe, played defensive tackle in the late 1980s, and his grandfather, Randall, played multiple positions for the Pirates in the late 1950s. Holmes has had more than 20 family members attend ECU, including his younger brother Luke, a freshman defensive lineman.

“They talked about how football has changed,” Holmes said of stories from his father and grandfather. “My dad would tell stories about who he played with. My grandfather told stories about playing at ECU, getting drafted into the military, and then came back to play and graduate.”

An all-region player at Warhill High School in Williamsburg, Virginia, Holmes began his collegiate career as a linebacker at the University of Richmond for two seasons before transferring to James Madison. Holmes earned his bachelor’s degree last spring but still had a year of eligibility. Additionally, ECU was recruiting Luke, and it had been a dream to play together.

“As a kid I always wanted to play for ECU but wasn’t sure how it would play out,” he said. “When I left JMU, this was the only school I had in sight.” Holmes contacted Blake Harrell, ECU’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the time, about the opportunity to try out for the team.

Holmes had previously tried out for the team and made the squad but got hurt and then transferred to Richmond.

“The effort he plays with and what he shows is huge,” said Harrell. “He’s a good example for our younger guys of treating his job in our program like a professional. It’s special that a kid grows up an ECU fan, has all of the connections to our program and is able to follow in those footsteps.”

Holmes is pursuing his leadership in organizations graduate certificate.