‘No shortcuts:’ Ball State football looks back on 2025, optimistic for 2026

The Ball State football season is over, but head coach Mike Uremovich said the emotions do not start to kick in until the Cardinals have their final meeting as a whole unit.

After a game, there is still stuff to do, but when they are dismissed for the final time, it gets real, quick.

Uremovich said seeing the empty row in the back of the room will be a physical realization for the program that a group of guys is now simply gone.

The Cardinals were 4-8 in their first season under Uremovich, going 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and finishing the 2025 season 0-7 on the road. He said he learned that it is possible to win and recruit at Ball State based on the results of 2025.

Uremovich said it is always hard at the end of a season because there is so much work that goes into playing a full season. Uremovich said it is frankly disappointing.

“We didn’t get to accomplish some of the things that I hoped we could do for them, things that I know we’re going to do as a program, but I wanted that to happen now. I didn’t want to wait,” Uremovich said.

The head coach was welcomed into Ball State athletics just over a year ago to the day, and he said he has the same excitement he does for the future of the program as he did a year ago.

Uremovich said the Cardinals will address every single aspect of the program in the offseason, from coaching, recruiting, conditioning and more.

Bottom line, Uremovich wants improvement all around for 2026.

With the transfer portal open, Uremovich said Ball State is currently hyper-focused on recruitment in building the 2026 roster.

“Recruiting never stops, but at the end of the season, it kind of speeds up,” Uremovich said.

The incoming class will be the first true recruiting cycle for the Cardinals. Uremovich said he is very encouraged about the incoming class.

Ball State just signed 15 high school athletes a few days ago on National Signing Day.

Although the Cardinals have signed 15 incoming freshmen, Ball State has already lost numerous players to the transfer portal. Starters who have decided to transfer include defensive end Darin Conley, wide receiver Eric Weatherly, running back Qua Ashley and linebacker Ashton Whitner, just to name a few.

Before the transfer portal, Uremovich said he always talked to players about what their role could look like within any program. He said that still goes on, but with the transfer portal, they can now leave at any time.

He said you cannot do anything about it but work in the environment you are provided.

And the transfer portal is the environment all collegiate athletic programs are currently in.

“I will not talk anybody into staying here; they’ve got to want to play football here,” Uremovich said.

Uremovich said there is a real excitement around Ball State currently for recruits. He said they have shown that underclassmen can get on the field early, and they have also shown that transfers can come into the program and shine. The head coach specifically pointed to recently graduated defensive end Nathan Voorhis as someone who transferred in and raised his draft stock.

“There are very few places in America to have a better opportunity,” Uremovich said.

Uremovich said he is optimistic about the younger classmen stepping into bigger roles in 2026. He said just because they were not on the field, it does not mean they were not working. He cited weight room improvements and practice development as strong suits heading into next season.

The Cardinals’ job is to improve at every single position in 2026, Uremovich said.

“Our job as coaches is to get the best players we can possibly get at Ball State,” Uremovich said. “The message, and they’ve heard it from me before, is that their goal is to develop and get as good as they can be, and my goal is to go out and try to find somebody that can take their job, because it’s my job to get the best product on the field.

“We’ll go into the spring, like we will every spring, and try to find our best 22 players to play.”

Uremovich said he is not going to rush into the X’s and O’s of the Cardinals but will make those adjustments in February when the staff goes through every single play of the season.

He made an emphasis to pinpoint Ball State’s road-game issues heading into 2026 as well.

The head coach said there are a million reasons for not playing well on the road, but it is the Ball State staff’s job to figure that out ASAP.

Uremovich said there are a lot of things, too long to name, that have already changed within the program. He said it is obvious to see change on the field, but it has been the off-the-field changes that really matter within a program in only its first season under a new regime.

Above all, Uremovich brims with confidence.

He said he has seen the administration and athletic director Jeff Mitchell buy into what Ball State football is doing. He said he has seen the community and students show support for the Cardinals. And all that matters to Uremovich.

“It doesn’t happen overnight, and we all want it right now, but there are no shortcuts,” Uremovich said. “Sometimes you’ve got to go through some really hard things to accomplish what you want. We did some of that this year, and we’ll be better for it.”

Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4

This article is republished as part of a collaborative content-sharing agreement between Ball State Unified Media and Indiana Public Radio, established to expand access to high-quality journalism and to better inform and serve the public through trusted, in-depth reporting.