The Cardinals discovered something in the latter parts of 2023, but they’ll have to start from the ground floor again in 2024.
It’s been a struggle in Muncie since the 2020 MAC Championship campaign which saw them ranked over multiple weeks. Since that fateful run, the Cardinals haven’t had a winning record, with a high-water mark of 6-7 and a bowl loss in 2021.
Questions were raised about Mike Neu’s status as the team’s head coach during the 2023 season, but ultimately Ball State made the decision to keep him on through at least 2024 at the end of a 4-8 season. Neu is currently on track to have his contract expire in 2025, but the university could fire him after this season and only be responsible for around $750k.
This makes 2024 a very important season in Muncie— one which is obfuscated by a lot of turnover at key positions. The coaching staff is taking massive swings at certain spots and hoping their foundational vision of finding and developing high school players comes through in a big way.
It’s an intriguing case study in the days of the transfer portal ruling the roost in recruiting, and one which could decide the direction of the program for years to come depending on the results.
Let’s dive right in to the most intriguing situations for the Cardinals:
Turning the page early at quarterback
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The Cardinals struggled to score points last season, averaging a lousy 10.8 points per game in five contests vs. FBS opponents. Layne Hatcher, Kadin Semonza and Kiael Kelly all battled mid-season (and sometimes in-game) for the starting role, but it was Kelly who would take the spot after some adjustments to the offense in the latter stages of 2023.
In his first start, Kelly nearly pulled off an upset of eventual MAC West champion Toledo and went on to pick up all three of Ball State’s conference wins after the switch. The fast finish led some to wonder if head coach Mike Neu would commit to the new look in 2024.
This doesn’t seem to be the case. Kelly was converted to a cornerback to take advantage of his athletic strengths in the offseason (though Neu left open the possibility Kelly could play both ways via special packages), and Layne Hatcher graduated in the offseason, leaving Kadin Semonza as the favorite to start in 2024.
Semonza finished the 2023 campaign 50-of-82 passing for 480 yards, for three touchdowns and five interceptions in four games played, preserving his redshirt eligibility. Semonza had an admirable effort vs. Kentucky in his first relief appearance as a true freshman, finishing 15-of-21 for 185 yards and a touchdown— but also tossed three interceptions and finished under 50 percent completion in his first start vs. Georgia.
His primary competition for the starting role seems to be Aidan Leffler, a redshirt sophomore from Indianapolis who served primarily as scout team QB— and saw some time at tight end— last season. The staff also brought in Marshall transfer Chase Harrison to try and shore up depth.
Semonza’s presumptive placement as starter seems to indicate Ball State wants to return to their traditional offensive look, a decision which detractors could pinpoint as a major issue should the season go in the tank.
Molding a defensive backfield from spare parts
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If you don’t recognize anyone in the defensive backfield, no one would blame you.
Jordan Riley, gone. Aljareek Malry, gone. Loren Strickland, gone. Damion Charity, gone. Tyler “Red” Potts? You guessed it: gone.
Thailand Baldwin (25 tackles). Jordan Coleman (22 tackles, one interception), Jahmad Harmon (10 tackles) and DD Snyder (five tackles) all return to try and claim starting spots in 2024, but every other returning corner or safety has either one or zero tackles per last season’s backlogs, which makes the defensive backfield a true mystery.
(For context, running back Brayden Evans and wide receiver Dahya Patel each had four tackles in 2023.)
To try and combat the lack of proven options, the Cardinals brought in several transfer options, including George Udo (44 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, and three sacks at BYU from 2019-22) and Myles Norwood (Iowa State via New Mexico), while also converting Kiael Kelly from QB to cornerback.
Kelly has never played corner, but coaches seem to be leaning on his penchant for film study, prior experience as a quarterback and receiver and raw athleticism to make the conversion. It’s unknown where he’ll start on the depth charts in camps, but given the urgency of the move and the confirmation of roles for him as a two-way player, it seems safe to assume he’s part of the plan there.
The two-fer turnover at the coordinator positions
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Former defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton, who held down the position for five years at Ball State, was hired on at Boise State in the same role after leading the Cardinals to a 17th-ranked overall defense in 2023, while Kevin Lynch, who led the 2020 offense, was promoted to assistant head coach, leaving BSU to hire two new coordinators.
Jared Elliott, a co-offensive coordinator in 2023 alongside Lynch, takes over the full-time offensive coordinator job. Elliott, a Miami University alum, was previously in charge at FCS Western Illinois from 2018-21, and has been in Muncie since 2022 as a passing game coordinator and tight ends coach.
Jeff Knowles comes over to Muncie from FCS Butler University to lead the defense and also teach inside linebackers, replacing Stockton. Knowles is familiar with the MAC, having been part of Rod Carey’s NIU staff in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, earning defensive coordinator honors in the latter campaign. Those seasons were two of the Huskies’ best defensive efforts in program history, earning him the DC job at Temple upon Carey’s departure to be head coach of the Owls. Knowles moved on to Butler in 2022 to coach the same roles, earning assistant head coaching roles in 2023.
The defense in particular will be very depleted due to the sheer number of departures and unproven talent, so it will be intriguing to follow how Knowles will shape that side of the ball given his background as a quick fixer.
With the sheer amount of change on both sides of the ball, the Cards are likely looking at another soft rebuilding year and hoping a game or two goes their way to be competitive in the overall title race.
The question is whether or not fans and administrators will be patient after an eight-year stretch where the Cards have had a winning record just once. The pressure will likely be immense and immediate.