Furman wide receiver transfer Ja’Keith Hamilton commits to ECU

East Carolina has added another piece to its retooled wide receiver room, landing Ja'Keith Hamilton via the transfer portal from Furman Paladins.

Hamilton, a 6-foot-2, 206-pound receiver, comes to Greenville with two years of eligibility remaining after a productive season at the FCS level. This past fall, he caught 40 passes for 545 yards and five touchdowns, providing steady production and reliability in Furman’s passing attack.

The addition comes at a critical time for ECU, which is replacing significant production on the perimeter. The Pirates lost Anthony Smith, a 1,000-yard receiver who exhausted his eligibility, along with sophomore Yannick Smith, who entered the transfer portal and committed to the SMU Mustangs. ECU does return Brock Spalding, who finished the season with 42 receptions for 554 yards and three touchdowns, but the room was clearly in need of experienced depth.

Hamilton brings exactly that.

Originally from Shelby High School in Shelby, North Carolina, Hamilton was a standout prep receiver before heading to Furman. He played in the Shrine Bowl as part of the 2023 class and totaled nearly 2,000 receiving yards over his final two high school seasons, making him one of the more productive pass-catchers in the state during that stretch.

At Furman, Hamilton continued to refine his game. He logged 447 offensive snaps during the 2025 season and finished with a 75.4 overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus. Perhaps most impressively, he was targeted 48 times and caught 40 of them without a single drop, showcasing strong hands and consistency traits ECU has valued heavily at the position.

With a new offensive staff in place and multiple openings in the receiver rotation, Hamilton enters a situation where early playing time is very much on the table. His combination of size, experience, and reliability should give him a real chance to carve out a meaningful role as ECU reshapes its offense heading into the 2026 season.