Juan Soto named East Carolina wide receivers coach

by | Jan 5, 2026

ECU football has announced the official hiring of its new wide receivers coach.

Below are more detail details from ECU Sports Information.

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Photo credit: Juan Soto (ECU Sports Information)

By ECU Sports Information

Juan Soto has been named East Carolina’s wide receivers coach according to an announcement by head coach Blake Harrell on Monday.

Soto comes to Greenville after spending the last two years (2024-25) as the assistant wide receivers coach at the University of North Texas (UNT) under new offensive coordinator Jordan Davis.

Under the tutelage of Soto in 2025, First-Team All-American Conference wide receiver Wyatt Young led the Mean Green in receptions (70), receiving yards (1,264) and touchdowns (10), while Cameron Dorner tallied a team second-best in catches (56), yards (911) and touchdowns (8). Young stood among the FBS leaders in receiving yards (third), reception yards per game (eighth/90.3), yards per reception (17th/13.21), receiving scores (12th), receptions per game (53rd/5.0), total touchdowns (55th/11) and all-purpose yards per game (77th/91.43).

In 2025, UNT’s offense led the nation in first down offense (first/334), scoring offense (first/44.8 ppg) and total offense (first/504.3 ypg), while also standing among NCAA FBS leaders (Top 25) eight other statistical categories: passing offense (second/323.2 pg), team passing efficiency (third/174.31), 4th down conversions (ninth/72.4 pct.), completion percentage (ninth/70.0 pct.), winning percentage (ninth/84.6), passing yards per completion (10th/14.1), red zone offense (14th/91.9 pct.) and 3rd down conversions (24th/46.4 pct.).

During his first season working with the offense, UNT finished the 2024 season ranked third in FBS in total offense, fourth in passing offense and 23rd in scoring offense. UNT set a program record with 328.2 passing yards per game while the 488.8 total yards per game ranked third in program history and the 33.5 points per game ranked seventh.

Working directly with wide receivers, Soto helped a pair of players have over 750 receiving yards in the same season for the first time since 2018.

He joined the Mean Green after spending the 2023 season as the Pass Game Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator at Wagner College in Staten Island. While coaching the receiving core for the Seahawks, Soto led Wagner to the third-best passing offense in the Northeast Conference. Soto oversaw the growth of Jaylen Bonelli who finished inside the top four in the NEC in receiving yards, receptions and touchdowns in the 2023 season.

Prior to coaching at Wagner, Soto worked with Yale University, Saginaw Valley State University, Ventura College, Kent State University.

In his previous stops, Soto has helped bring home conference titles for Ventura in 2014 (CCCAA), Kent State in 2021 (MAC EAST), and Yale in 2022 (IVY).

In the past, Soto has been responsible for inputting and breakdown of film for each opponent, updating scouting reports, updating offensive playbooks, as well as making recommendations on student-athletes based on academic record or team needs.

As a player, Soto played Wide Receiver during his stint at Ventura College during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Originally from Miami, Florida, Soto has earned his bachelors degree in business management from Saginaw Valley State, as well as his masters degree in sports administration from Kent State.

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