The idea of the East Carolina Pirates becoming national contenders for the CFP Championship is possible. However, it requires a huge financial backing, something that alum and YouTube megastar MrBeast would be able to pull off.
Joel Klatt uploaded an episode of his daily show on Monday. He discussed the idea of MrBeast, who is estimated to be worth over a billion dollars, just throwing $100 million at ECU NIL to ‘buy a championship.’ He’s all in on the idea of turning ECU into a national contender, thanks to MrBeast.
MrBeast did attend East Carolina University, but it was only for a short time before he dropped out to build his YouTube empire. He still lives in North Carolina and his office and setup is in Greenville, North Carolina, which is where East Carolina University is located as well.
“He’s from kind of that East Carolina area, ECU, East Carolina Pirates. And someone threw out the idea of MrBeast donating $100 million to ECU because now what’s happening in college football and really college athletics in general, but everyone’s just thinking about alumni from all these different schools. It’s like what’s your wealthiest alumni and will he give millions of dollars, or she, sorry. Person, is the richest alumni willing to throw millions of dollars at the football program,” Klatt said at the 23:21 mark.
“So can ECU go win a national championship? And he by the way responded with should I do this? Jimmy, we’re on YouTube, you should absolutely do this. I think it would be amazing. And we will celebrate that to know end. Because every program that commits to winning, I’m here for.”
What's next for ECU ahead of 2026 season
East Carolina would garner a lot of support if MrBeast provides his backing to the football program. It would give them a better opportunity to land better players and give them a shot at reaching the CFP.
The Pirates completed their first year with head coach Blake Harrell throughout the 2025 campaign. They enjoyed a strong season, finishing with a 9-4 overall record. The year ended with them beating the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Military Bowl.
Harrell impressed many throughout his first full year as the Pirates' head coach, taking over midseason in 2024. He will look forward to his team's ceiling for the 2026 campaign and beyond, especially if MrBeast comes through with the funding.
