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Ball State Football Preview 2026: Can Mike Uremovich Get Things Moving?
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- Ball State Football Preview 2026: Can Mike Uremovich Get Things Moving?
It's been tough for Ball State to break through.
The wonderful 2020 season - at least on the field - turned out to be a mirage.
The Cardinals won the MAC title after a six-game season, went 7-1, and that was the only winning season for the program over the last 14 years.
Mike Uremovich took over, the offense couldn't get moving, and it was the third straight season without getting past four wins.
Loaded with transfers, and with the coaching staff settled in, there's at least more hope now.
Ball State Has Been Waiting for a Breakthrough — Is 2026 Finally the Year?
Aug 30, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Ball State Cardinals head coach Mike Uremovich looks at his coaching sheet during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium.
© Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Ball State Quick Hits
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Head Coach:Mike Uremovich (2nd year, 4-8; 12th season overall: 60-64)
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Best Case / Worst Case:A bowl appearance/Fourth straight season without getting to five wins
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Key Player:Tyler Mizzell, QB Jr. or Keldric Luster, QB Jr.
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2025 Record:4-8
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Biggest Question:Can the offense start to score?
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Ball State Key 2025 Stats
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First Quarter Scoring: Opponents 123, Ball State 41
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Penalties: Opponents 75 for 673 yards, Ball State 56 for 444 yards
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Sacks: Opponents 49 for 300 yards, Ball State 23 for 140 yards
Offense
It was a grind.
The 2024 offense wasn't great, but it was able to score enough to keep up. Last year's attack struggled to do much of anything consistently right - it couldn't score.
There's enough back on the offensive line to expect a big improvement, but the transfer portal needs to bring a boost.
What's Working
It's a good quarterback situation.Kiael Kelly was a good runner, but his passing consistency was a struggle.
The transfer portal brought in two interesting options. Keldric Luster is a fast-moving option from Texas Tech, and Tyler Mizzell is an interesting all-around playmaker from Concord University.
Both will battle for the starting job, and both will see plenty of time.
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The line has experience.It might not have been good enough at keeping teams out of the backfield, but it's full of veterans - the starting five will at least know what it's doing.
Assuming veteran guard Cole Mosier moves to center, there are several new options from the portal to test out at guard.
The coaching staff looked to upgrade the receiving corps this offseason.20-catch Donovan Hamilton is back, and he'll be helped by Jabari Smith (Florida Atlantic) to take over in the slot.
Corey Thompson (Utah State) and CJ Nelson (Eastern Illinois) can step in right away.
What Needs Work
The running backs need more work.The quarterbacks will continue to get plenty of rushing attempts in this offense, but it would be nice for the backs to do more.
Qua Ashley led the running backs with 547 yards and four scores, but he's in the transfer portal. Only one other rushing touchdown was scored by anyone other than Ashley or former quarterback Kiael Kelly.
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The offensive line couldn't keep defenses out of the backfield.This was partly a function of having a running quarterback - the stats started to pile up - but only Rice and Missouri State gave up more tackles for loss than the 8.33 per game the Cardinals allowed.
Only Troy gave up more than the 4.08 sacks per game the Ball State line allowed.
Complete passes.The offense relied more on the running game - at least from the quarterback - but just hitting the midrange throws would be nice. Ball State failed to hit 60% of its passes seven times.
Player to Watch
Tyler Mizzell, QB Jr.
Or Keldric Luster. Again, Kelly wasn't that bad, but the Cardinals need more out of the passing game, and they need the offense to keep moving.
Luster has only thrown 12 passes in two years at SMU and one at Texas State, and the 6-1, 176-pound Mizzell - who started at Wake Forest - is a dangerous runner who can throw, but has to be more accurate than he was at Concord.
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Defense
The Ball State defense was better than the 2024 version, but wasn't close to the 2023 defense that finished second overall in the MAC.
There isn't much in the way of returning starting experience, with the transfer portal and underclassmen rebuilding across the board.
What's Working
There's bulk up front.The coaching staff went bigger for the defensive interior through the portal.
Cincinnati transfer Keilan Smith is 326 pounds, Wake Forest's Ka'Shawn Thomas is pushing 300 pounds, and there are enough big bodies to help in the rotation against the run.
There's help for everywhere up front.Along with the defensive interior, the pass rush got Jared Badie (San Diego State) and Austin Stief (Davenport) for the pass rush. The top linebackers are new, too.
Cincear Lewis (Cincinnati), Gavin Forsha (Tennessee State), and Kaleb Stewart from the JUCO ranks should be among the team's leading tacklers.
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The corners should be stronger.Chris Jackson was a great get from Colorado State, and Willizhuan Yates should be back after leading the team with six broken up passes - he was flirting with the portal.
What Needs Work
Really, there's a lack of starting experience.The top eight tacklers are gone, and the defense has to put it all together with around 12 transfers who have to make things better.
That's not a bad thing - last year's defense wasn't great - but it might take a little bit for everything to come together.
The pass rush has to come from somewhere.That's where all the new guys come in.
Nathan Voorhis was a force, making 12 sacks with 17 tackles for loss in an all-star season. He's gone, and so are the other main pass rushers. When Voorhis wasn't making things happen, the pass rush stopped.
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The run defense was pounded on a bit too easily.Other MAC teams had a far tougher time, but it was still a rough season for the defensive front - hence all the bulk coming through the portal. Ball State was 0-6 when allowing more than 170 rushing yards.
Player to Watch
Jovan Clark, LB, RFr.
Is he a linebacker? He's only 203 pounds. Is he a safety? Sort of.
The Washington State transfer has yet to see the field, but he's a good-looking prospect with the upside to be one of the team's leading tacklers over the next few years.
Keys to the Season
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Get better all-around quarterback play.
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Cut down sacks and tackles for loss allowed.
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Get the new defensive guys up to speed - fast.
Player Who Needs To Shine
Chris Hood, OT Sr.The 6-10, 327-pound veteran has the size and length to work at one of the tackle spots - likely left tackle - but he can kick to the inside if needed. With his experience and versatility, if he's great, the rest of the veteran line should be far better.
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Biggest Concern
Scoring
There were too many times when the offense didn't move a lick.
The 190 points were the fewest scored since the 1999 team put up 157 in an 0-11 season. The Cardinals failed to get to ten points in six games, losing them all.
Biggest Game
at Kent State, September 26
Normally, the Kent State game is a chalked up win months before the season starts. The last Ball State loss to the Golden Flashes was 2019 - the Cardinals have won six of the last seven meetings.
It's a better Kent State team this year, and this time around, the matchup is the MAC season opener on the road.
Transfer Portal
Power Four programs that wanted Ball State players in the portal were able to get them, but overall, this wasn't a bad run.
The Cardinals managed to completely overhaul their defense, load up at quarterback, and, considering what they had to work with and offer, they got players.
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Best Signing
Jared Badie, EDGE (San Diego State)After two years at Illinois and two at San Diego State - without a lot to show for it - he'll get his chance to take over the pass rushing duties as the possible star to replace Nathan Voorhis. He's a fifth-year senior who can move.
Biggest Loss
Darin Conley, EDGE (Washington)While he wasn't a dominant force, he's a big, versatile end who can fill a variety of roles as a part of the Washington defensive line rotation. He made 44 tackles with 3.5 sacks in two years with the Cardinals.
Other Names to Know
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Kendrick Gilbert, NT (Louisville)
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Austin Stief, EDGE (Davenport)
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Corey Thompson Jr., WR (Utah State)
CFN Season Prediction
Is this when Mike Uremovich makes the Ball State program his?
With all of the new parts, transfers, and changes, this is a vastly different team than last year's version.
Now there needs to be production on both sides of the ball on a more consistent basis.
CFN Prediction: 4-8
Here's the problem. A lot of the winnable MAC games are on the road. Bowling Green, Kent State, and even UMass all become tougher for the Cardinals away from Muncie.
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Ball State went 1-13 over the last two seasons on the road, and 0-7 last year.
The Cardinals won't win the road games at Ohio State or Northwestern, but they'll beat Stony Brook and Sacramento State at home, and will take down UMass on the road for a decent base of victories.
It won't be enough to get to a bowl game.
Related: MAC Football 2026 Win Totals: Spring Predictions for All 13 Teams
