The current landscape of college sports, with the fluidity of movement for coaches and players alike, breeds tumultuous offseasons.

Unfortunately for teams and their fan bases across the nation, the tumult is increasingly encroaching upon the calendar. Look no further than Lane Kiffin’s pre-College Football Playoff departure from Ole Miss to LSU as an example.

Few programs, including Pitt and East Carolina, who meet in the Military Bowl on Saturday, are exempt from roster and personnel shakeups.

As the Panthers and Pirates gear up for kickoff at 11 a.m. from Annapolis, Md., here’s a glance at how both teams have navigated the period since their regular seasons concluded.

East Carolina

Simply put, the Pirates (8-4, 6-2 American) have been organ donors over the last few weeks, losing key coaches and players.

The offensive and defensive coordinators, John David Baker (Ole Miss) and Josh Aldridge (South Florida), were hired away from coach Blake Harrell’s staff a day apart earlier this month.

Shortly after Baker left, Pirates quarterback Katin Houser announced his intention to hit the transfer portal, followed by receiver Yannick Smith and tight end Jayvontay Conner.

247Sports also reported Wednesday that leading rusher London Montgomery (742 yards, seven scores) was opting out of the Military Bowl, intending to transfer.

Under Baker’s leadership, ECU put up 464.7 yards per game, ranking 14th nationally in total offense. Aldridge’s unit was also solid, finishing 48th nationally in total defense (348.9).

Houser threw for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns, completing 269 of 408 passes (65.9%) with six picks.

• Pitt lineman Jackson Brown to enter transfer portal • Following Kyle Louis, Pitt tailback Desmond Reid declares for NFL Draft • Pitt tailback Juelz Goff enters transfer portal

Yannick was East Carolina’s No. 2 wideout in catches (44) and yards (583), scoring five touchdowns, and Conner hauled in 23 catches for 333 yards and three touchdowns.

Now, all four standouts are gone, along with their play-caller, as the Pirates prepare to play Pitt.

Harrell since has hired Baker’s replacement, Jordan Davis from North Texas, but the Mean Green play in the New Mexico Bowl the same day as the Military Bowl.

That, coupled with the logistics of joining his new team and immediately assuming play-calling duties, makes it unlikely Davis will run the offense against Pitt.

Harrell, a former defensive coordinator himself, probably will turn to his remaining offensive staff for a solution there.

At quarterback, the Pirates seem likely to start true freshman Chaston Ditta or Mike Wright Jr.

Ditta, recruited to ECU by Baker, had over a dozen Division I offers when he chose the Pirates.

His long-term future with the program can’t be known, but he could be a big part of the Pirates’ offensive approach against Pitt. That said, he has attempted only seven passes in college.

Wright didn’t see much action behind center this season but made himself useful as a jack-of-all-trades player, taking reps at receiver and defensive back.

He brings five prior seasons of experience, having played at Vanderbilt (2020-22), Mississippi State (2023) and Northwestern (2024) before transferring to ECU.

Wright was used the most at Vanderbilt in 2021 and 2022, when he threw for a combined 2,016 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

He, too, will be a face Pitt prepares to see at quarterback Saturday.

Minus Yannick at wideout, the Pirates still have Anthony Smith, who led the team with 60 catches for 897 yards.

Marlon Gunn Jr., a senior, is the Pirates’ next leading rusher behind Montgomery, with 94 carries for 532 yards with six touchdowns this season.

As for defensive play-calling duties, the most logical option seems to be Harrell stepping back into that role.

Harrell served as coordinator from 2020 to midway through the 2024 season, when Mike Houston was fired and Harrell was elevated to interim head coach.

Pitt

The Panthers (8-4, 6-2 ACC) have had a quieter last few weeks than East Carolina.

Where ECU lost both its play-callers, Pitt lost tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Jacob Bronowski, who departed for a job at Auburn.

Some transfer portal announcements — primarily tailback Juelz Goff, receiver Zion Fowler-El and offensive lineman Jackson Brown — have surfaced.

But all three players were backups and far from primary contributors at their positions. Their departures shouldn’t hurt Pitt too badly in the Military Bowl.

All-Americans Kyle Louis and Desmond Reid declaring for the NFL Draft is another story.

With Louis gone, Pitt’s depth chart showed Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey as starting star linebacker. Lindsey, a sophomore, stepped up this year when injuries ravaged the linebacking corps and has enough experience to give coach Pat Narduzzi and coordinator Randy Bates confidence.

Furthermore, standout fellow linebacker Rasheem Biles made the trip to the Military Bowl and appears to be in line to start.

With Goff and Reid gone at tailback, true freshman Ja’Kyrian Turner steps into the starter’s shoes.

Turner, after a breakout second half of the season, has left no question as to his abilities, yet depth behind him at running back could be a cause for concern.

Elsewhere, things appeared largely status quo on the Panthers’ depth chart.

It remains to be seen what last-minute absences Pitt might need to navigate.

But the Panthers are the team in better overall shape as it pertains to having the nucleus of their team on hand ready to play in the Military Bowl.

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