East Carolina isn't a school that comes to mind when you think "football powerhouse," but it's acting like one by officially signing not one, not two, but three graduate transfers from Power 5 schools.
The Pirates, members of the American Athletic Coast Conference (AAC), have signed running back Tyshon Dye (Clemson), defensive end Gaelin Elmore (Minnesota) and quarterback Thomas Sirk (Duke).
Sirk is an interesting case. The former Duke Blue Devil has been beset by injuries his college career. He's had three Achilles injuries that have cost him two full seasons (2013 and 2016). Due to his injury history, the NCAA has granted him a sixth season of eligibility. Whether he'll play — or how much — is up in the air since he's still recovering his his latest Achilles problem. He had one solid year at Duke (2015) when he passed for 2,624 yards and 16 TDs.
Dye, a former four-star recruit, played sparingly for Clemson and finished his career there with five touchdowns and 351 rushing yards. Elmore is a 6-foot-6, 275-pounder who spurned some larger schools to go to ECU.
Since all three are graduate transfers, they can play right away.
