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Nathan Voorhis brings 'chip on his shoulder' to Ball State football pro day
- Story byThe Star Press
- Nathan Voorhis brings 'chip on his shoulder' to Ball State football pro day
Ball State football pro day is in the books.
The Cardinals held their annual pro day on Monday, March 2, giving 12 senior players the opportunity to showcase their athleticism in front of professional football scouts. Thirteen NFL teams had scouts present at Ball State's pro day — the Detroit Lions , Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Carolina Panthers , Atlanta Falcons , Indianapolis Colts , New Orleans Saints , Las Vegas Raiders , Arizona Cardinals , New York Giants , San Francisco 49ers , Chicago Bears , Washington Commanders and Cleveland Browns .
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Of the 12 Cardinals who worked out on Monday, defensive end Nathan Voorhis figures to have the highest likelihood of getting drafted in April. The first-team All-MAC selection was clearly Ball State's best player all season, racking up 51 tackles, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles in his lone season in Muncie. Only three players in all of FBS college football had more sacks than Voorhis.
Despite his strong production, Voorhis did not receive an invite to the NFL Combine. That snub only served as extra motivation as he prepared for his pro day.
"I feel I was snubbed from the Combine," Voorhis said. "I should have been down there in Indy. I feel like I should have gotten an invite, but they didn't want me there. Logo not cool enough."
Voorhis impressed on pro day with a 37-inch vertical jump, which would have tied for seventh-highest among the 17 defensive ends who jumped at the combine. He also logged a 9-foot, 10-inch broad jump and an unofficial 4.77 40-yard dash. During individual positional drills, Voorhis showed off his ability to drop back into pass coverage, something he didn't get many chances to do during the season.
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"Definitely wish I had a better day. I had a few really good numbers and a few numbers I definitely did better in training," Voorhis said. "Overall, I feel like I did pretty good. I didn't get to show my coverage abilities in the season, only dropped like four times I'm pretty sure, so it was good to just get out in space and show I can do it. A lot of them don't know that I played linebacker at UConn, so I know what I'm doing in space, just didn't get to showcase a lot this year."
Voorhis knows the feeling of being underrated. He began his college football career at UConn and spent two seasons there before transferring to Bryant. Despite a strong season with the Bulldogs — 47 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, five sacks and a forced fumble — Ball State was his only FBS offer in the portal.
Thus, Voorhis came to Muncie with a chip on his shoulder, ready to prove that he belonged at the FBS level. He became exactly what the Cardinals needed, not just as a ferocious pass rusher but also as a leader and team captain.
"You could tell that he wants it," Ball State defensive line coach Adam Siwicki said. "He has that internal drive and things that you can't see on a stopwatch or a piece of paper. He did well testing today, and I was talking to some of the scouts, and he said he definitely helped himself today."
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Voorhis is going to be a tough player for the Cardinals to replace when considering his production and leadership. In their efforts to do so, Ball State's coaches have prioritized players who are similarly motivated and driven to prove themselves at the FBS level.
"You get guys like him to come in here and show that you can do it from this university and at this level," Siwicki said. "One thing that separates him from a lot of people... he just has a chip on his shoulder. When I first had my conversations with him, when I first started recruiting him, you could just tell he had a chip on his shoulder, so those are guys you look for. They have internal motivation to be better each and every day."
Ball State senior defensive end Nathan Voorhis (44) goes to line up in position against New Hampshire during the first half Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Scheumann Stadium.
After his auditions at pro day and January's Hula Bowl, Voorhis will wait to see if his name is called during April's NFL Draft. Whatever the future holds for the Ball State "QB Killer," you can be sure he will approach it with the same chip on his shoulder that he brought to Muncie.
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"Training camp, draft, whatever happens, I'm ready to go compete," Voorhis said. "Hopefully, I get that call, at the very least on the third day. I'm sure somebody's high on me. I know a few of them are. I'm ready to get back after it. I'm a football player, so running 40s might not be my thing, but when pads come on, I've already shown what I can do with pads."
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10 .
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Nathan Voorhis shines at Ball State football pro day after NFL Combine snub
