2026 MAC Football Preseason Preview: Ball State Cardinals

The Ball State Cardinals are flying into Year 2 under head coach Mike Uremovich. His first season didn't go probably how he or the team wanted, as he took over the program from former coach Mike Neu, but there were some signs of improvement. Ball State was able to win four games last season for the first time since 2023, with victories over New Hampshire, Ohio, Akron, and Kent State.

The offensive production took a bit of a dive in 2025, ranking in the bottom three in the MAC in scoring, passing, and rushing. Ball State finished second-to-last in total offense per game, averaging just 271.7 yards per game. (Only UMass had a lower total.) Their best offensive rank was finishing in the bottom three in team rushing yards. This is obviously down from the prior season in 2024.

With that being said, the defense was significantly improved last season.

Under Neu, the program typically finished in the bottom two in defensive stat categories, but in Uremovich's first season, Cardinals fans saw improvement from the unit, led by linebacker Nathan Voorhis (now with the New York Jets) and his program-leading 12 sacks last season. Defensive back Joedrick Lewis (graduated) led the team with three interceptions, and linebacker Alfred Chea (graduated) led the Cardinals in tackles with 59 total tackles.

2026 will be about finding contributors to step into those roles and continue the momentum.

Although there were some slight signs of betterment last season, this season coul d prove to be even more difficult than their slate from 2025; especially as they'll have to replace nearly all of their top playmakers on both offense and defense.

Let's dive right in to the state of the Ball State Cardinals:

What’s New?

Since this is only Coach Uremovich's second season with his coaching staff at BSU, there were no changes there. With the first season at the program in the rearview, both the coaches and players were able to begin working together back in January, which Uremovich told By The Belt at MAC Media Day could help this year's team.

"The biggest thing I am excited about is there was no spring transfer portal window," Uremovich said. "When we went to work in January, our whole team was there, and so we got to get further along, and they got to know each other better. Last year, we had 18 guys show up in the spring. It's hard to get a group of guys ready to play in two months. Having this group of guys since January has been fun, and the guys have been working their butts off."

The Cardinals were able to get five players from the transfer portal that will have some high expectations this upcoming season. Overall, they should have more depth than last season, and there are a lot of guys that will be in demand for playing time on the field.

"We're way deeper at a lot of positions," Uremovich related. "There's a lot of competition going on at training camp, which is what you want. Some guys are gonna get hurt, and you've gotta have more than just your starters ready to go for you. I really like our depth."

There's a ton of competition going on and position battles taking place, and one of the most competitive may be with the offense. Four of the incoming transfers are on offense and will all be looking to play right away, in addition to losing key contributors from last season to graduation.

Offense

• Key departures: QB Kiael Kelly (graduation), HB Qua Ashley (Tennessee Tech), WR Qian Magwood (graduation), OT Allen Jones (graduation), OC Jakob James (graduation)
• Key arrivals: QBs Keldric Luster (Texas State) and Tyler Mizzell (Concord); HB Johnny Thompson (Kansas), WRs CJ Nelson (Eastern Illinois) and Corey Thompson (UNLV via Utah State); TE Sean Ward (Dartmouth), OG Jacob Jeudy (Concord), OTs Misearl Sandoval (Vanderbilt) and Maxwell Wentz (Dartmouth)
• Key returnees: HB TJ Horton, WR Donovan Hamilton, OC Cole Mosier, OTs Tristan Cook and Chris Hood

With quarterback Kiael Kelly graduating, the Cardinals will see a new QB1 under center this season. Coach Uremovich and his staff hit the transfer portal and came out with both Keldric Luster and Tyler Mizzell. Luster is a five-foot-ten, 250-pound QB who has played in nine games between SMU and Texas State. Meanwhile, Mizzell is an all-around playmaker from Concord University. Both could see some playing time this season.

One position the coaching staff aggressively addressed in the portal was wide receiver. Donovan Hamilton returns to the Cardinals, and this season he brings reinforcements: Jabari Smith (transfer from Florida Atlantic), Corey Thompson (Utah State), and CJ Nelson (Eastern Illinois), who can all become key contributors. In all, Ball State brought in six transfer receivers to try and shore up the losses after losing six of their seven top passcatchers.

What will help Ball State take the next step offensively will be up to the progression of the backfield. Last season's team leading rusher Qua Ashley hit the portal (now at Tennessee Tech), so they'll be looking for a new RB1.  The fact of the matter is that only one other rushing touchdown was scored by anyone other than Ashley last season, and it was by the QB– who also left the program. TJ Horton returns with the most experience in Muncie from last season, but Jalen Bonds and Elijah Jackson return to the program as well.

The success of the backfield will be solely on whether or not the offensive line will create the holes for them. Last season, only Rice and Missouri State's o-line gave up more tackles for loss than the Cardinals (8.33 TFL) per game. Redshirt junior Cole Mosier and senior Chris Hood will be looked upon to lead this offensive line group this season, with Hood embracing the role into 2026:

"I think we're at the point now where most guys know the offense. Most guys know how the coaches operate, and now we can just work. So now that we know the offense, we just have to figure out how to take it to the next level. A bunch of new, eager guys are looking to come in and play, and returning guys are excited to play."

There are no returners with more than two games of experience at Ball State entering fall camp at the guard spots, opening up a lot of potential. Jacob Jeudy, an up-transfer guard from D-II Concord, could be of interest in one spot after finishing second-team all-league in 2025. Zach Bandy (one game in '25) and Luke Dalton (two games in '24; injured '25) bring back the most experience in the system.

They'll be anchored by Cole Mosier, who started 10 games last season.

Tackles are more steady, with last year's starters Tristian Cook and Chris Hood both coming back with a combined 24 starts in 2025. Ball State did bring in Maxwell Wentz from Dartmouth as experienced depth; Wentz started 10 games for the Big Green in 2025.

A lot of the offense's chances for success will hinge on how quickly the new-look offensive line gels, especially along the interior.

Defense

• Key departures: EDGEs Nathan Voorhis (NFL) and Dejuan Echoles Jr. (Western Michigan); LBs Alfred Chea, Joey Stemler, Jack Beebe, Ashton Whitner and Caden Johnson; DBs Michael Gravely Jr., Joedrick Lewis and Muheem McCargo
• Key arrivals:  EDGEs Austin Steif (Davenport), Maverick Gracio (Pitt) and Jared Badie (San Diego State); NT Kendrick Gilbert (Kentucky via Louisville), OLBs Cincear Lewis (Cincinnati) and Jovan Clark (Washington State), CB Chris Jackson (Colorado State), SAF Sterling Smith (Purdue)
• Key returnees: DT Ameir Glenn, CB Willizhaun Yates, SAF DJ Fields

The defense experiences a near complete reset, losing seven of their top 10 tacklers on the season and retaining only two of their full-time starters from 2025.

Even despite the lack of on-paper experience, the staff is upbeat– and even optimistic– about the unit's depth, with defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles stating the depth along the defensive line is "even better than what we had on the D-line last year, and I don’t think our depth was that bad last year on the D-line."

Replacing an edge rusher with the resume of Nathan Voorhis, who set a school record for single-season sacks in 2025, seems nearly impossible, but the staff believes they can get that production in the aggregate with a rotation of pieces.

BSU brought in three edge rushers with at least one season of experience through the portal they hope can make noise, with Maverick Gracio (four tackles, sack at Pitt), Austin Stief (35 tackles, 2.5 TFLs at Davenport) and Jared Badie (11 tackles, 1.5 TFLs at San Diego State in 2024-25) all expected to compete for reps. Incumbents Ben Marsh, Sam Feeney and Layton Starks could also key in.

The interior also sees a mix-up, with Ameir Glenn (2.5 TFLs in 2025) expected to battle Wake Forest transfer Ka'Shawn Thomas for DT reps. Kendrick Gilbert was brought in from Louisville to start at the nose tackle position; he last played in 2024 with Kentucky, where he collected five tackles and a TFL.

Linebackers also reset, with Cincinnati transfer Cincear Lewis (six-foot-two, 227 lbs.) and Washington State transfer Jovan Clark expected to compliment whoever wins the MIKE battle between Mikeah Webster and South Alabama transfer Gavin Forsha. Senior backer Justin Thomas, who played behind Voorhis as part of the edge rotation in 2024, could also see time here.

The defensive backfield sees relative stability, with corner Willizhaun Yates an safety DJ Fields both returning after tying for 10th on the team in tackles (34 each.) DB Sterling Smith is the transfer to watch here; Smith played 10 games for Holy Cross in 2023 and was productive, with 36 tackles, a TFL and two PBUs, and was a core special teamer with Purdue in 2025.

It will be hard to know what this defense is capable of until shoulder pads clash, especially with the lack of FBS experience. However, the staff's attitude and philosophy seem to indicate they have a plan for how to deploy all these pieces. Whether or not it actually works will be of interest.

Special Teams

• Key departures: PK DC Pippin, P Adam Saul, RET TJ Horton
• Key arrivals: K/P Hudson Fiene (Monmouth)
• Key returnees: PK Carson Holmer, P/K Brody Boehm, P/H Cole Stambaugh, LS Caden Britton

Ball State was one of the worst special teams units in the country in 2025, thanks in large part to their lackluster kicking team. They had the unfortunate luck of kicking the second-most punts per game in the NCAA while also being in the bottom 15 of punting yards– meaning they punted often and not effectively.

Punter Adam Saul departs the program, as does DC Pippin, a former NAIA All-American who wound up 6-of-9 on field goal tries as a Cardinal before getting benched for Carson Holmer.

Holmer (2-of-2 field goals, 5-of-5 PATs) returns as the favorite at placekicker, though he'll have a battle with sophomore Brody Boehm and Monmouth transfer Hudson Fiene (60-of-62 PATs, 2-of-2 field goals in '25.)

Cole Stambaugh, last year's holder, seems to be in line for punting duties, though he will likely battle with Boehm here as well.

Returners are a mystery currently. Only Willizhaun Yates has return experience form 2025– if you can call one three-yard return "experience." Even when they did field kicks, Ball State's kickoff averages are buoyed by a 90-yard return touchdown, and the punt returns were third from the bottom in the NCAA. The end of fall camps will provide answers here.

Outlook

In such fast-changing times in college sports, teams like Ball State will be hard to project as the season starts up.

It's hard not to look at a team which is replacing the vast majority of their previous season's production and think "this is a rebuild." And indeed, that is likely where Ball State is right now.

That said, there is certainly room for intrigue. The offense under the dual-threat leadership of Keldrick Luster has potential. Luster's unique combination of size and speed makes him one of the more interesting gunslingers at the MAC level; if he can build a quick connection with Donovan Hamilton (20 catches, 244 yards), that could go a long way.

Everything else, however, appears to be a work-in-progress, as the defense replaces nine of their 11 starters and specialists essentially reset wholesale.

If there's one thing going in their favor, they avoid Western Michigan and Miami in league play, instead drawing Sacramento State and UMass. Even with that handicap, it's tough to see this team fighting for a bowl game with the current information we have.

Schedule

All dates and times are current as of publication. Asterisk (*) denotes a conference game.