- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,270,645
- Reaction score
- 59
For the second year in a row, there are plenty of new faces on the Ball State football roster.
Between 23 freshmen and 29 transfers, the Cardinals will have 52 players who were not with the team last season — almost half of their 112-man roster and just one shy of last year's 53 new players during the offseason coaching transition from Mike Neu to Mike Uremovich.
It's certainly not a situation unique to Ball State. High roster turnover is simply the way of the world in college football these days, especially at the Group of 6 level. In order to survive this new landscape of the sport, coaches have to be able to cash in on their portal prizes.
Through two offseasons, Uremovich and Co. have given themselves plenty of chances to win that coveted portal lottery. In Uremovich's first offseason, 34 players transferred to Ball State. Of those 34, 13 remain, as the other 21 either expired their eligibility or transferred again. Between 29 transfers this offseason and the 13 left from last offseason, 42 of this year's Cardinals were recruited from the portal by Uremovich and his staff.
VOTE: for The Star Press IU Health Preseason Baseball Player of the Year
Women's hoops: Ball State women's basketball transfer portal tracker | Who's leaving?
So what, exactly, has made Ball State such an attractive destination for so many transfers?
One big factor is one that never changes, no matter how much everything else might. Muncie is only about an hour away from some of Indiana's best high school football powerhouses, including but not limited to Cathedral, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Westfield, Brownsburg and Bishop Chatard. All of these schools are represented on Ball State's roster, and many of the players from those schools grew up playing with or against their current Cardinal teammates.
"The main thing that drew me here was relationships," said Sterling Smith, a defensive back who transferred in from Purdue and played high school football at Cathedral. "I know I'm coming here and playing with buddies that I've known since middle school football playing in Fishers and coaches who have known me for a long time.''
Those from Cathedral like Smith are more connected to the coaching staff than most. Uremovich's son, Michael, and defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles' son, Gannon, also played there and were teammates with many of the current Cardinals who prepped there. Gannon Knowles was part of Ball State's 2026 signing class.
"They've seen me play since my high school days. They know what I'm about, they believe in me, and they brought me here to make an impact right away," Smith said. "I know that they care about me, and I can play hard when I know I'm playing for people who I know and I'm close to."
Even for those whose roots aren't as close to Muncie, Ball State provides close proximity to home for those that hail from other Midwestern states. Roots in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois — particularly the Chicago area — are common amongst the players and coaches alike, and the chance to play closer to home was a big part in many decisions.
Take outside linebacker Jared Badie for example. A redshirt senior who will spend his final season of eligibility at Ball State, Badie was the No. 3 linebacker in the state of Illinois coming out of Oswego East High School in Aurora, Ill., and he began his collegiate career with his home state Fighting Illini. After two years there, he transferred out west to San Diego State and spent the last two seasons with the Aztecs. However, Badie wanted his final season to be played in front of family, and Ball State gave him the location to do just that.
"I'm a huge family guy," Badie said. "My family tries to come to every game. They tried to come to every game in California, so being closer to home and being able to shoot home for a weekend, see mom and dad, see my sisters and everything, it means the world to me."
As an edge rusher, Badie also plays a position where the Cardinals need some immediate production. Ball State's best portal find last offseason was defensive end Nathan Voorhis, who went on to finish fourth in the nation with 12 sacks and earn All-MAC first-team honors. Badie believes that Ball State's defensive scheme will allow him to make a similar impact in his final season.
"Always looking for an opportunity, that's what the transfer portal is for, you know, trying to make the best of a situation," Badie said. "To have a gap that needs to be filled and the coaches call me and say, 'Hey, we want you to fill it,' I'll take that opportunity 10 times out of 10 and hopefully just fill the shoes and exceed expectations."
That opportunity to come in and produce was available on both sides of the ball. Ball State was very aggressive in its pursuit of pass catchers and quarterbacks in the portal, bringing in four tight ends, four wide receivers and two quarterbacks. With starting quarterback Kiael Kelly and leading receiver Qian Magwood graduating and other pass catchers like Ty Robinson, Eric Weatherly and Kameron Anthony transferring out, the Cardinals will rely on these transfers to step up and produce immediately.
Of course, they brought in a high volume of these players for a reason. Competition for snaps at these crucial positions can bring out the best in players, whether it be a transfer or a returner. That chance to compete is exactly what some of the new Cardinals were seeking.
"We've got a newly built receiver room, but you got a bunch of old people who stayed here," said Jabari Smith Jr., a wide receiver transfer from Florida Atlantic. "It'll be a fun competition to see who ends up being the three receivers to go out there vs. Ohio State first."
The coaching staff has seen the new faces jell with the old through the first few weeks of spring practice. Competition is fiercer on some days than others, but the initial unfamiliarity has essentially worn off now that everyone has been here for multiple months now. Coaches and fans also won't have to worry about any further losses since the NCAA did away with the second transfer portal window that used to follow spring practices.
"They're not really new anymore," Uremovich said. "They were new when they got here in January, but they've been here a few months, and we started spring ball later just because of that, so we had more time to meet with them and more time for them to get around each other."
Contact Cade Hampton via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Why Ball State football transfers decided to join the Cardinals for 2026
Continue reading...
Between 23 freshmen and 29 transfers, the Cardinals will have 52 players who were not with the team last season — almost half of their 112-man roster and just one shy of last year's 53 new players during the offseason coaching transition from Mike Neu to Mike Uremovich.
It's certainly not a situation unique to Ball State. High roster turnover is simply the way of the world in college football these days, especially at the Group of 6 level. In order to survive this new landscape of the sport, coaches have to be able to cash in on their portal prizes.
Through two offseasons, Uremovich and Co. have given themselves plenty of chances to win that coveted portal lottery. In Uremovich's first offseason, 34 players transferred to Ball State. Of those 34, 13 remain, as the other 21 either expired their eligibility or transferred again. Between 29 transfers this offseason and the 13 left from last offseason, 42 of this year's Cardinals were recruited from the portal by Uremovich and his staff.
VOTE: for The Star Press IU Health Preseason Baseball Player of the Year
Women's hoops: Ball State women's basketball transfer portal tracker | Who's leaving?
So what, exactly, has made Ball State such an attractive destination for so many transfers?
One big factor is one that never changes, no matter how much everything else might. Muncie is only about an hour away from some of Indiana's best high school football powerhouses, including but not limited to Cathedral, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Westfield, Brownsburg and Bishop Chatard. All of these schools are represented on Ball State's roster, and many of the players from those schools grew up playing with or against their current Cardinal teammates.
"The main thing that drew me here was relationships," said Sterling Smith, a defensive back who transferred in from Purdue and played high school football at Cathedral. "I know I'm coming here and playing with buddies that I've known since middle school football playing in Fishers and coaches who have known me for a long time.''
Those from Cathedral like Smith are more connected to the coaching staff than most. Uremovich's son, Michael, and defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles' son, Gannon, also played there and were teammates with many of the current Cardinals who prepped there. Gannon Knowles was part of Ball State's 2026 signing class.
"They've seen me play since my high school days. They know what I'm about, they believe in me, and they brought me here to make an impact right away," Smith said. "I know that they care about me, and I can play hard when I know I'm playing for people who I know and I'm close to."
Even for those whose roots aren't as close to Muncie, Ball State provides close proximity to home for those that hail from other Midwestern states. Roots in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois — particularly the Chicago area — are common amongst the players and coaches alike, and the chance to play closer to home was a big part in many decisions.
Take outside linebacker Jared Badie for example. A redshirt senior who will spend his final season of eligibility at Ball State, Badie was the No. 3 linebacker in the state of Illinois coming out of Oswego East High School in Aurora, Ill., and he began his collegiate career with his home state Fighting Illini. After two years there, he transferred out west to San Diego State and spent the last two seasons with the Aztecs. However, Badie wanted his final season to be played in front of family, and Ball State gave him the location to do just that.
"I'm a huge family guy," Badie said. "My family tries to come to every game. They tried to come to every game in California, so being closer to home and being able to shoot home for a weekend, see mom and dad, see my sisters and everything, it means the world to me."
As an edge rusher, Badie also plays a position where the Cardinals need some immediate production. Ball State's best portal find last offseason was defensive end Nathan Voorhis, who went on to finish fourth in the nation with 12 sacks and earn All-MAC first-team honors. Badie believes that Ball State's defensive scheme will allow him to make a similar impact in his final season.
"Always looking for an opportunity, that's what the transfer portal is for, you know, trying to make the best of a situation," Badie said. "To have a gap that needs to be filled and the coaches call me and say, 'Hey, we want you to fill it,' I'll take that opportunity 10 times out of 10 and hopefully just fill the shoes and exceed expectations."
That opportunity to come in and produce was available on both sides of the ball. Ball State was very aggressive in its pursuit of pass catchers and quarterbacks in the portal, bringing in four tight ends, four wide receivers and two quarterbacks. With starting quarterback Kiael Kelly and leading receiver Qian Magwood graduating and other pass catchers like Ty Robinson, Eric Weatherly and Kameron Anthony transferring out, the Cardinals will rely on these transfers to step up and produce immediately.
Of course, they brought in a high volume of these players for a reason. Competition for snaps at these crucial positions can bring out the best in players, whether it be a transfer or a returner. That chance to compete is exactly what some of the new Cardinals were seeking.
"We've got a newly built receiver room, but you got a bunch of old people who stayed here," said Jabari Smith Jr., a wide receiver transfer from Florida Atlantic. "It'll be a fun competition to see who ends up being the three receivers to go out there vs. Ohio State first."
The coaching staff has seen the new faces jell with the old through the first few weeks of spring practice. Competition is fiercer on some days than others, but the initial unfamiliarity has essentially worn off now that everyone has been here for multiple months now. Coaches and fans also won't have to worry about any further losses since the NCAA did away with the second transfer portal window that used to follow spring practices.
"They're not really new anymore," Uremovich said. "They were new when they got here in January, but they've been here a few months, and we started spring ball later just because of that, so we had more time to meet with them and more time for them to get around each other."
You must be registered for see images attach
Contact Cade Hampton via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Why Ball State football transfers decided to join the Cardinals for 2026
Continue reading...
