Prior to hosting Memphis on Saturday evening, the East Carolina Pirates recognized 30 seniors for their contributions to the football program. One of those seniors may have been a lesser-known name to the fanbase
at the time of the pregame ceremony, but when a field storm brewed in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium that night, he was the most popular man on campus.
Payton Mangrum is a sixth-year senior wide receiver, originally onboarding with the South Carolina Gamecocks as a walk-on during the pandemic-adjusted 2020 season. That Gamecock garnet was the color of his bloodstream, as his parents graduated from the university and his sister also attended. Mangrum dreamed of starring on Saturdays in Columbia, SC, but he didn’t attain scholarship status until his junior year, recognized for devoted special teams work and his support as a teammate. After five long years at South Carolina, his production amounted to six receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Mangrum entered the portal over the offseason and traveled one state north to East Carolina, hoping his first five years of hard work could materialize in expanded playing time elsewhere. At ECU, he received an opportunity as a four core special teams player — suiting up on kickoffs, kickoff returns, punts, and punt returns, warranting the moniker of “Mr. Do-It-All” from head coach Blake Harrell. Still, he remained buried on a crowded receiver depth chart with production limited to six receptions through the Pirates’ first nine contests.
“It comes to a point, like hey man, I kind of want to play,” Mangrum said. “I want to be a team player, do what’s right for them. At the same time, I want to play for myself, so that’s when I got in the portal. I came here and it didn’t go as I thought, but to see it all come to fruition tonight is a good feeling.”
On Saturday afternoon in a high-stakes tilt against fellow American Conference contender Memphis, the Pirates lost starting wide receiver Yannick Smith to injury, suddenly thrusting the sixth-year senior Mangrum into an expanded role — coincidentally, on senior day. Trailing 27-24 to Memphis with 1:14 remaining, East Carolina snapped the ball to execute a 3-by-1 four verticals play, opting to take a shot rather than play for the tying field goal. Mangrum lined up second from the right and was given the option to run deep or sit down. But he immediately recognized Memphis’ man coverage and took the outside release.
Houser then launched the ball toward the end zone. Mangrum positioned himself in front of the defender, and the rest was history. The former walk-on, seeking an opportunity after six long years of dedicating himself to workouts and practices, finally envisioned the moment he dreamed of. He secured the 31-yard touchdown reception with ultimate force, handing the Pirates a 31-27 advantage with 68 ticks remaining on the clock.
“I went back, adjusted to the ball and got it,” Mangrum said. “I got up and my ears popped. I’m not really the celebrating type. I just screamed. I already knew I caught the ball. I didn’t even know they were reviewing it, because everyone was on the sideline hugging me. I was like, ‘Why have we not kicked the extra point yet?’”
Despite only capturing six passes prior to Saturday, Mangrum understood Houser’s trust in him to make such a spectacular play with the game on the line.
“Every time I get in the game, he trusts me enough to throw the ball to me,” Mangrum said. “That speaks a lot to the relationship me and him have. The quarterback-receiver relationship means a lot, and it means a lot to me as a player to knowing that the quarterback trusts himself to throw me the ball down three, two minutes left, in our last home game.”
East Carolina ultimately held on for the victory over Memphis, winning its fourth-straight game to improve to 7-3 and 4-1 in the conference standings — remaining alive for a College Football Playoff berth. On a special senior night that recognized Mangrum prior to kickoff, he was recognized as the hero to lead ECU to its most important conference victory in at least a decade’s timespan. During the postgame locker room celebration, the receiver eagerly called his father, who was attending a wedding, to talk about the shining moment of his collegiate career.
“Getting to make that play tonight — it meant a lot to me and my parents back home, my grandma back home,” Mangrum said. “Knowing they get to see that, that means a lot to me. I got two or three games left. To go out like that, especially in my last home game, it’s a great feeling.”
It hasn’t always been easy, but Saturday night made all the years of sacrifice well worth it. Payton Mangrum is now a name forever etched into East Carolina history as the hero of a signature win, and his touchdown reception jump-started an all-out party at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, where even the goalposts were casualties of a raucous field storm.
“I’ve been through a lot this season,” Mangrum said. “Not really getting the playing I want to, and I just stayed down, kept playing focused, kept coming to practice and showing up every day. That’s the hardest part is getting up every day, going to do it, and you’re not reaping the benefits that you want. Just trusting the Lord and the plan He has for me to be successful.”
