Wolfpack Gets Bulletin Board Material From ECU

A former member of the ECU program made some bold statements about the team's opening matchup.

Dec 27, 2022; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; East Carolina Pirates quarterback Holton Ahlers (12) talks with reporters after the 2022 Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium. East Carolina won the game 59-23 over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Poking a bear is never a good idea. Poking an entire Wolfpack a week before you enter its den to battle it is an even worse one.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack football program and head coach Dave Doeren spent an entire offseason stewing on the loss to East Carolina in the 2024 Military Bowl. The poor defensive performance and the embarrassing brawl to finish the game left a bitter taste in of everyone, the members who returned to the Wolfpack.

Luckily for NC State, the team gets a chance to redeem itself right away in 2025, as ECU comes to Raleigh on Thursday for the season opener.

Former ECU quarterback Holton Ahlers, host of the Holton Ahlers Show, made several disparaging comments toward NC State ahead of the game, providing the Wolfpack with even more bulletin board material.

Dec 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (16)] scrambles away from East Carolina Pirates linebacker Ryheem Craig (32) during the first half of the Go Bowling Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

What did Ahlers say?

The former quarterback turned podcast host made some bold proclamations, particularly about NC State quarterback CJ Bailey, on a recent episode of his podcast.

Former ECU quarterback Holton Ahlers with some strong words on the quarterback matchup between CJ Bailey and Katin Houser.

Ahlers has the Pirates winning a close one, avenging their loss in 2022 with a late FG next week over the Wolfpack. pic.twitter.com/MGezoL8wLR

— Charlie Gribble (@Charlie_Grib) August 20, 2025

"I just think it's one of those situations quarterback-wise where the matchup, we should win that every time with Katin Houser," Ahlers said. "If you look at the (Military Bowl), if you look at just the stats, CJ Bailey might've had the better game, but Katin managed the game better."

In the Military Bowl, Houser completed 18 of his 29 pass attempts for 147 yards and threw two interceptions, one of which nearly cost the Pirates the game if he hadn't bailed out by his defense. On the other hand, Bailey threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns, but did have an interception.

"When Katin needed to make plays, he made plays," Ahlers said. "Bailey was another type in the Bowl game where you didn't know he had a good game until after the game when you look at the stat sheet ... You got to have an 'it-factor' about you and I think Katin has that compared to CJ Bailey."

Dec 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD, USA; East Carolina Pirates quarterback Katin Houser (4) runs for a touchdown during the second half of the Go Bowling Military Bowl against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Bailey was recently named the youngest team captain since Doeren took over the NC State program 13 years ago. He's been mentioned on several preseason award watchlists and is a trendy pick to be a breakout performer in the 2025 season.

Houser was included on the Manning Award watchlist with Bailey, but given his status as a group-of-six quarterback, the same hype doesn't exist.

Ahlers' comments sparked a vitriolic response from Wolfpack fans on social media. Whether his predictions hold true or not can only be decided by Bailey and Houser themselves on the field next Thursday.

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