Holton Ahlers

2021: Started all 12 games during junior campaign … Completed 256-of-414 passes (61.8 percent) for 3,126 yards … Threw 18 touchdowns with 10 interceptions … Stood among the nation’s Top 30 in passing yards per game (19th/260.5), completions (21st), total offense yards per game (27th) and passing yards (29th) … On the ground, rushed for 202 yards and six scores on 116 carries (1.7 ypg) … Caught a pair of passes for 27 yards (13.5 ypc) with one touchdown at Marshall (9/18) … In all, tallied a unit-best 3,328 yards on 530 plays – an average of 277.3 per contest … Directed an offensive unit that stood 39th nationally in total offense (433.2) and 54th in scoring (29.7 ppg) … One of four team captains at the conclusion of the season for the third consecutive year … Served as a game captain against Appalachian State for the season opener in Charlotte … Passed for 300-plus yards in a game three times (368/Marshall, 313/Memphis, 405/Navy) … Also threw for 200 yards or more against Appalachian State (295), Charleston Southern (238), Tulane (288), UCF (219), Houston (278), South Florida (220) and Cincinnati (228) … Tossed multiple TDs in a game six times including a season-best three on twice (Temple and Navy) … Twelve of 18 TD passes went for 10 or more yards, nine for 20-plus and two for 60 or more yards (63/Appalachian State, 60/Charleston Southern) … Completed season-best 30 passes (48 attempts) with a pair of scores … Rushed for 178 yards (of his 202) over the last five games including a season-best 78 against South Florida … Became first ECU QB to catch a TD pass in a game since Shane Carden in 2014 St. Pete Bowl (at Marshall/27 yards on 9/18/21) ... First Pirate to throw, run and catch a TD in a game since James Summers in 2016 vs. UConn - span of 52 games - at Marshall (9/18/21) ... One of three AAC quarterbacks to pass, rush and catch a pass in a game this season (Desmond Ridder/CIN and Dillion Gabriel/UCF) ... One of four active FBS QBs during 2021 with 10,000 yards passing/1,000 yards rushing - career ... On the season has accounted for 24 scores (18 pass, 6 rush) and added first career receiving TD ... Named to 2021 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board Watch List ... Midseason Watch List for Davey O’Brien Award (10/19) ... Three-time AAC Honor Roll (Marshall 9/20, Temple 11/8, Navy/22) ... Two-time Manning Stars-of-the-Week (9/20, 11/22) ... Named to Davey O’Brien Awards Great 8 (9/20) ... Named College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention (11/22) ... Third-Team Preseason All-AAC pick by Phil Steele’s College Football Preview ... Fourth-Team Preseason All-AAC selection by Athlon Sports.

2020: Started all eight games played, missing only the Navy contest (COVID-19 protocol) … Completed 165-of-269 passes (61.3 percent) for 1,921 yards and 18 touchdowns while only getting picked off nine times … Ranked among the nation’s Top 30 in three aerial categories – 25th in passing TDs, 26th in completions per game (20.6) and 30th in passing yards per game (240.1) … On the ground, rushed for 109 yards and a score on 54 carries (2.0 ypg) … In all, racked up a unit-best 2,030 total yards on 323 plays – an average of 253.8 per contest … Directed an offense that turned in the program’s 10th-highest single-season scoring average (30.2 ppg) in school history (and tops since 2014) … Selected to the Manning Award and Wuerffel Trophy Watch Lists … Served as a two-time game captain (UCF, Georgia State) … Eclipsed 300 passing yards twice with those performances coming in successive outings at Tulsa (330) and against Tulane (season-high 351) … Also recorded 200 air yards or more against SMU (298), Georgia State (236), South Florida (222) and UCF (215), while adding 182 at Temple in road finale … Had streak of 14-straight games with 200-plus passing yards snapped at Cincinnati (9-of-20 for 87), which also marked his first-ever sub-100-yard outing as a starter … Tallied multiple TD throws in six contests with a season-best four vs. SMU at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium after contributing three each against UCF, South Florida, Tulsa and Tulane, while tossing a pair at Temple … Fourteen (14) of the 18 scoring strikes covered 10+ yards, while three went 60 or more (75 vs. South Florida and Tulane, 60 vs. Temple) … Of the nine interceptions suffered, six came in just two tilts (three each vs. Georgia State and Cincinnati) … Established new personal bests with 38 completions against the Golden Hurricane and a 75-yard run vs. Temple on the road … Also turned in his top single-game rushing effort of the campaign with 70 yards (on six attempts) and scored only ground tally against Owls with a one-yard plunge to cap ECU’s 28-3 victory at Lincoln Financial Field … Ran for 55 yards on a season-high 12 carries in the opener vs. UCF and added 35 on six totes at South Florida to round out other notable rushing contests … Averaged 240.7 passing yards per game in seven American Athletic Conference appearances (136-of-219 for 1,685 yards and all 18 TDs) … Tossed 10 scoring passes, threw only one interception and turned in a 288.0 aerial clip in just three home contests (61-of-101, 864 yards), while netting a 211.4 average in five road tilts with eight picks and eight touchdowns … Enjoyed consistent early and late splits with 1,003 yards and nine TDs in first four games before logging 918 yards and an identical nine score total in the final four outings … Fared better in day games (256.5 pypg, 101-of-173 for 2,282 yards and 12 TDs) than at night (213.0 pypg, 64-of-96 for 639 yards and six TDs) … Turned in top passing numbers during month of October (262.7 pypg) in comparison to September (215.0) and November (229.5) … Was 73-of-104 (70.2%) with 30 first downs gained and seven touchdowns in all first down snaps, while booking a 62.3 clip on second down (48-of-77, 25 first downs, 3 TDs), a 51.9 success rate on third down (41-of-79, 29 first downs, 6 TDs) and a 33.3 ledger on fourth down (3-of-9, 1 first down, 2 TD) … Completed 29-of-56 passes (51.8%) on third-and-long, moving the chains on 18 occasions and accounting for four scores … Excluding sacks, averaged 7.3 yards per carry on 33 “true” rushes and picked up 10 first downs … Netted a team-best 11.9 yards per attempt on 10 second down rushes … Credited with his third career tackle on a solo stop (following an interception) at Temple … Also launched his first collegiate punt against the Owls, a 32-yarder that resulted in a touchback … A fourth-team preseason All-AAC selection by Athlon Sports.

2019: Opened all 12 contests during sophomore campaign … Passed for 3,387 yards (264-of-442) and 21 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions … Completion percentage was 59.7 … On the national (FBS) level, ranked ninth in total offense (3,746 yards), 12th in passing yards per game (282.2), 17th in completions per game (22.0) and 21st in passing yards … Rushed for 359 yards and six TDs on 108 carries, an average of 3.3 per attempt … Established three single-game school records during the course of the season – passing yards (535 vs. Cincinnati), passing TDs (six vs. SMU) and most total yards (556 vs. Cincinnati) … Aerial effort vs. Bearcats also rated as the third-highest single-game passing performance on the FBS level in 2019 (606, 570 by Washington State’s Anthony Gordon) … Trailed only Shane Carden and Dominique Davis on ECU’s single-season lists for passing yards (4th), most completions (6th) and most total yards (4th) … Surpassed 200 passing yards on nine occasions (300/5, 400/2, 500/1) … Accounted for at least one TD throw in nine contests, two or more five times, three or more thrice and four or more twice … Earned American Athletic Conference Honor Roll inclusion following efforts vs. SMU (32-of-42, 498 yards, 6 TDs, 8-25 rushing) and Connecticut (34-of-50, 374 yards, 1 TD, 6-22 & 1 TD rushing) … In addition to record-breaking passing numbers (32-of-52, 535 yards), accounted for five touchdowns against Cincinnati (4 air, 1 ground) … Top rushing outing was a 78-yard, two-TD performance on 10 carries vs. Gardner-Webb in home opener … Also added 60 yards on 14 attempts – which included a season-long jaunt of 36 – against William Mary before recording best AAC ground numbers at UCF (15-47, 1 TD) … Tallied other rushing scores vs. Navy, Cincinnati and Connecticut … Suffered only one lost fumble in 108 attempts (at NC State) … Enjoyed favorable conference & non-conference splits, averaging 326.6 passing yards per game in eight league tilts (196-of-319 for 2,612 yards and 17 TDs) compared to a 193.8 yards-per-game clip in four non-AAC matchups (68-of-123, 775 yards, 4 TDs) … Home/road numbers were nearly identical in six contests – 134-of-230 (1,694 yards/282.3) and 11 touchdowns at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium compared to 130-of-212 (1,693 yards/282.2) and 10 TDs away from Greenville … Turned in strong finish, averaging 374.2 yards per game with 15 scoring tosses in final six outings (190.3 ypg, six TDs in first six) … Closed campaign as arguably one of the hottest quarterbacks nationally, completing 125-of-192 throws (65.1 percent) for 1,715 yards (428.8 ypg) with 14 touchdowns during the month of November, which included the final four contests vs. Cincinnati, SMU, Connecticut and Tulsa … Accounted for 56 pass completions (12 TDs) and seven rushes (1 TD) that covered 20-plus yards, including five of 50+ – 75 (C.J. Johnson/Cincinnati), 72 (Blake Proehl/Old Dominion), 68 (Jsi Hatfield/(SMU, 57 (Tyler Snead/SMU) and 53 (Deondre Farrier/Old Dominion) … A total of 124 (of 264 completions) were for 10 or more yards … Pass success rate on third down was 51 percent (68-of-133) that resulted in 45 first downs and nine TDs … Was 109-of-165 (66%) on first down, which moved the chains on 54 occasions … Was a perfect 3-of-3 on fourth down pass attempts (two conversions) … Didn’t reach 200-yard passing mark until Game 4 (William & Mary) after opening the season with 168 (NC State), 195 (Gardner-Webb) and a season-low 138-yard effort (Navy) … Finished the year with a run of nine-straight 200-plus outings … Prior to aforementioned notables vs. Cincinnati, SMU and Connecticut, threw for 210 vs. William & Mary, 202 vs. Old Dominion, 229 vs. Temple, 313 vs. UCF and 217 vs. USF before closing with 308 (and three TDs) vs. Tulsa … Surpassed the 40 attempt mark four times (52/Cincinnati, 50/UConn, 48/Tulsa, 42/SMU) … Completed 30 or more throws on three occasions (season-high 34 against Huskies, 32 each against Bearcats and Mustangs).

2018: Experienced action in 10 games and made five starts as a true freshman … Did not play in opener vs. North Carolina A&T (coach’s decision) and in season finale at NC State (injury) … Made collegiate debut in Week 2 against North Carolina and played key role in the Pirates’ 41-19 victory at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium … Earned first career start against league champion UCF at home and opened the four following contests (Memphis, Tulane, Connecticut, Cincinnati) … Completed 127-of-263 passes (48.3 percent) for 1,785 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns … On the ground, topped program with 592 yards on 119 attempts (5.0 ypc) and reached paydirt on an ECU-best six occasions … Turned in the second-highest single-season rushing total among quarterbacks in school history, trailing only Leander Green (1979) by a mere 40 yards … Also stood second among all true freshmen nationally in rushing yards and finished as the Pirates’ leading ground gainer in eight outings – 48/USF, 63/Old Dominion, 56/Temple, 45/Houston, 69/UCF, 57/Memphis, 67/Tulane, 130/Connecticut … Stood 11th nationally in yards per completion (14.1), while ranking among AAC leaders in total offense (237.7 ypg), passing yards per game (178.5) and passing efficiency (118.08) … As a starter, racked up 1,985 total yards – an average of 397.0 per contest … Seventy-two (72) of 127 completions went for 10-plus yards (23 for 25-plus), which included a career-long 80-yarder to Trevon Brown at Tulane … Turned in a personal-long rush of 53 yards at Temple, which bested a 49-yarder vs. Old Dominion a week earlier … Selected as the AAC Offensive Player-of-the-Week on Nov. 19 after surpassing the century ground mark (130/1 TD) and passing for an additional 242 yards (4 TD) against the Huskies … Triple-digit rushing effort vs. UConn marked the third-highest single-game total ever recorded by an ECU starting QB in program history behind Leander Green (178/Richmond/1979) and Jeff Blake (161/Northern Illinois/1990) … Posted 27 carries in inaugural start against UCF, most by a Pirate signal-caller since 1982 (Kevin Ingram/William & Mary) … Tallied ground scores vs. North Carolina (2), USF, Old Dominion, Houston and Connecticut … Touchdown passes came against Connecticut (career-high 4), Memphis (3), Tulane (2), Houston, UCF and Cincinnati … Passed for at least 360 yards in first three career starts – 406 vs. UCF, 449 vs. Memphis (second-highest recorded by an FBS true freshman in 2018) and 360 vs. Tulane … Also completed at least one toss of 40-plus yards in games against Knights, Tigers and Green Wave … After racking up 475 total yards in initial start against UCF, accumulated 506 overall yards vs. Memphis … Also established a personal best in completions (34) vs. Tigers before establishing a career-high in attempts (67) against Tulane … Was the only FBS quarterback with multiple 60-plus attempt contests (62/Memphis, 67/Tulane) during the season … Was 13-of-28 for 144 yards and one score in first five games (coming off the bench) before assuming full-time starting role … On the flipside, scored five of six rushing TDs as a backup … Suffered only three interceptions all season (UCF, Tulane, Cincinnati) and was also charged with just three lost fumbles (2 vs. Knights, 1 vs. Bearcats) … Credited with a tackle vs. Tulane (interception return) … Averaged 6.2 yards per carry in non-conference games (16-99), compared to a 4.8 clip in eight league tilts … Tallied 14 (9 passing, 5 rushing) of 18 overall touchdowns at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium … Averaged 328.2 passing yards per game in second half of season (last five games played) after opening season with a 28.8 ypg clip (first five appearances) … Converted four of five fourth down rushes into a first down or score … Officially enrolled early at ECU in January and participated with the Pirates in spring drills … Earned “Top Offensive Newcomer” honors at the conclusion of spring workouts after completing a combined 22-of-36 passes (61.1 percent) for 302 yards and one TD during two scrimmages.