Ball State Football Preview 2025: The Cardinals Hired the Right Coach to Win Again

Ball State Cardinals Preview 2025: Offense

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- Last year’s Butler team under Mike Uremovich was seventh in the FCS in rushing, kept the turnovers to a minimum, and it all started with an offensive line that was outstanding at keeping defenses out of the backfield.

There will be some shuffling, but there’s decent depth considering most of the top starters have to be replaced, and bringing over 6-8, 300-pound star tackle Adam Dolan from Butler will be a massive help. Add in 6-10, 315-pound Chris Hood for the other spot, and the Cardinals might have the tallest tackle pair in college football.

- The top running backs are almost all from the portal. Qua Ashley (Kennesaw State) can catch, to go along with the 409 yards and one score he ran for in a rotation last season. Elijah Jackson (Purdue) is a smaller, ultra-quick back who saw time as a kick returner in his freshman year.

- There’s no replacing the 94 catches of tight end Tanner Koziol, who took off for Houston. Drew Cassens (Butler) is a do-it-all football player who’ll likely be thrown into the tight end gig early on.

The Cardinals lost other key receivers through the portal, and now they need deep threat speedster Ty Robinson to stay healthy on the outside. Quan Magwood is a short-range target, and Eric Weatherly (Bucknell) is a speedy inside option coming off a 75-catch season.

- Kadin Semonza left for Tulane after throwing for over 2,900 yards with 25 touchdowns last season. Kiael Kelly got his feet wet, and he can run a bit, but he needs time. He’ll have to hold off 6-5 Walter Taylor from Colorado.

Ball State Cardinals Preview 2025: Defense

- The Ball State defense was miserable at coming up with third-down stops; there wasn’t any pass rush, and overall, it was 124th in the nation in yards allowed and gave up over 40 points per game. On the flip side, defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles’ Butler defense was amazing on third downs, was sixth in the FCS in pass defense, and had a good pass rush.

- The linebacking corps should be solid around Joey Stemler in the middle. He’s a big, tough tackler to work around, and that’s what the new guys are for. Alfred Chea (UConn) is like a big safety on the outside, and Ashton Whitner (Old Dominion) is a true defensive back/linebacker hybrid who should thrive in the system.

- The line gets back enough parts to be okay, starting with 302-pound Drew Hughes on the nose. Darin Conley is a bulked-up linebacker who’ll work at tackle, and Nathan Voohis (Bryant) is coming off a monster year at the lower level - he’ll be a key pass rusher.

- The safeties are starting over, but the corners are set. Eric McClain and Willzhuan Yates were thrown to the wolves as freshmen, and now they have to start making more big plays. DD Snyder, Jordan Coleman, and George Udo are gone at safety, putting the pressure on Avery Stuart (Kentucky) and Michael Gravely (Western Michigan) to be great right out of the box.

Ball State Cardinals Key to the Season

Run the ball, and keep running the ball … well
Under the new Ball State coaches, Butler averaged over 200 rushing yards per game, had easy third down chances, and dominated the time of possession battle, making everything easier on the defense. That’s what Ball State needs out of its ground attack. So …

Ball State Cardinals Key Player

Qua Ashley, RB Jr.
The line should be good enough, and the quarterback play needs to be solid, but the new backs have to come through. Ashley turned into a steady producer for Kennesaw State, but he wasn’t used as a workhorse. As long as he’s averaging five yards per carry, everything else should work.

Ball State Cardinals Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: Adam Dolan, OT Sr.
The Ball State line was going to be fine no matter what, but it got a big boost with the 6-8 Dolan came over from Butler. An FCS all-star talent, he’s the rare instant-fit at left tackle.

Top Transfer Out: Tanner Koziol, TE Sr.
It’s a tad bit shocking he wasn’t gone earlier. Over his three seasons he caught 163 passes for 1,507 yards and 18 touchdowns, with 94 grabs last year. He was a perfect fit for Wisconsin, but ended up at Houston.

Ball State Cardinals Key Game

at Northern Illinois, Oct. 25
Head coach Mike Uremovich was a big part of the Northern Illinois offensive success in the late 2010s, and now he’s going back to where he was the offensive coordinator. With Akron before and Kent State after, get a win in DeKalb, and there should be a nice late-season three-game winning streak.
- 2025 Ball State Schedule Breakdown

Ball State Cardinals Top 10 Players

1. Joey Stemler, LB Sr.
2. Nathan Voohis, EDGE Sr.
3. Jordan Coleman, S Jr.
4. Ty Robinson, WR Sr.
5. Adam Dolan, OT Sr.
6. Drew Hughes, DT Sr.
7. Qua Ashley, RB Jr.
8. Chris Hood, OT Jr.
9. Kieael Kelly, QB Sr.
10. Willzhuan Yates, CB Soph.

Ball State Cardinals 2024 Fun Stats

- Fumbles: Opponents 14 (lost 8), Ball State 14 (lost 3)

- Yards Per Carry: Ball State 5.2, Opponents 3.3

- Points Per Game: Opponents 40.1, Ball State 25.3

Ball State Cardinals 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen

It’ll be a tough start with road games at Auburn, Purdue, and UConn wrapped around a funky FCS game against New Hampshire.

There’s the bad break of not getting UMass on the slate, but not playing Buffalo is a big help. To get to six wins for the first time since 2021, it’ll take an upset somewhere, and a big run with Akron, at Northern Illinois, Kent State, and Eastern Michigan all winnable.

Getting to the three wins of last season shouldn’t be a problem, but the Cardinals will fall just short of six.

Set The Ball State Win Total At … 4.5
Likely Wins: Akron, Kent State, New Hampshire

50/50 Games: Eastern Michigan, at Miami University, Ohio, at UConn, Western Michigan

Likely Losses: Auburn, at Toledo, at Purdue