Casey Kelly, the former Oregon Ducks tight end who entered the transfer portal in December, has finalized his transfer to East Carolina University. 2023 was Kelly’s first and only season with the Ducks, and he finished the year with 5 catches, 43 yards, and 2 TDs.
Oregon tight end transfer Casey Kelly has signed with ECU. The grad transfer reunites with John David Baker, who was his position coach previously at Ole Miss.https://t.co/rYiMnZgzgN pic.twitter.com/5ZVjgrNFcX
— Stephen Igoe (@StephenIgoe) January 16, 2024
2024 will be Kelly’s final year of eligibility, so a desire for a bigger role probably drove his decision to transfer. If he stuck with Oregon for his final season, he would’ve had to sit behind Terrance Ferguson, Patrick Herbert, and Kenyon Sadiq.
One of the likely reasons Kelly chose East Carolina is his relationship with their offensive coordinator. John David Baker, the Pirates’ OC, was Kelly’s TE coach at Ole Miss, where Kelly played for three years before his time at Oregon.
The East Carolina Pirates went 2-10 in 2023, so adding transfers like Kelly could make a big impact for them in 2024. ECU’s 2024 recruiting class doesn’t have any blue-chip recruits, but they have plenty of 3-star high school recruits and transfers that could round out their roster.