The Mike Uremovich Era is officially underway for Ball State Football.
Uremovich is the 19th head coach in Ball State football history and comes to the university from Butler.
Here are four takeaways from his introductory press conference.
Uremovich wants to build a stronger brand.
Uremovich made it clear that as a head football coach, he wants to be in the community and be a part of what Ball State is.
Athletic director Jeff Mitchell said Uremovich made a point to go into the athletics offices to build a repertoire with the department from the jump. It was not asked or expected, it was just something Uremovich did.
“A football program is important to a university,” Uremovich said. “It brings spirit to the university. It gives people in a community something to be proud of.”
Uremovich said he has learned from previous coaching spots that being active in the community builds a real relationship. He also said he was able to learn from Butler by sensing the community they built between athletic teams. Uremovich said that each coach would support teams in person, something he has already done at Ball State by showing up to a women’s basketball game.
Uremovich also said that anything and everything is possible with the facilities Ball State already has to offer.
Uremovich’s three standards.
Uremovich has three standards he wants to set for Ball State football.
1. Championship effort.
Uremovich said there should be a championship effort at all times. When players show effort, Uremovich will show praise, and when they don’t, he will be sure to tell them.
2. Great attitude.
Uremovich wants to see a great attitude in every Cardinal throughout football and their daily life.
3. Accountability.
Accountability is being on time and doing things right, but Uremovich also said there is accountability in owning mistakes. He pinpointed an example where Butler failed to convert a third down, the very next meeting Uremovich owned up to his mistake in the play call.
Uremovich also said he wants to get rid of expectations. He said he is not a stats guy, but is a results guy who only worries about execution, scores and stops.
How Uremovich approaches recruiting and transfer portal.
Uremovich made it clear that he wants to recruit within a five-hour radius of Ball State. He said his connections with coaches in that area run deep, so he can fully trust the talent around Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois.
Uremovich said he is not all concerned about who Ball State does not get in recruiting or the portal because he is focused on the roster he has, not on one he doesn’t. He also said he was able to learn more about the portal during his time at Butler and how to deal with the new aspect of college football.
Uremovich said the current Ball State players in the portal are free to see what offers are out there and have a chance to come back as a Cardinal since he is a new head coach. But going forward, if a player enters the portal, Uremovich said he sees that as a player not wanting to play in his program.
Uremovich said the staff makeup is currently in the works, but he doesn’t want to rush any potential hires because there is still college football being played in the coming weeks.
How Uremovich plans to run the offense.
Although some coaches stick with the same schemes and plays over time, Uremovich approaches each season differently for the offense. He said he got this method from former NFL offensive coordinator, Matt Canada.
Uremovich said there is an example where he was with Canada before the season and the whole offense listed out their best players. After listing out five or six, those players would be the focal point of the offense.
No matter if they were in the same position, Uremovich believes the best players should be getting the ball the most. He said there were two strong quarterbacks at Butler and he allowed both to play instead of keeping a strong position player on the sidelines.
“I don't care what our playbook says, those are our best players,” Uremovich said. “They have to get the football, and our offense is flexible enough to do that.”
Uremovich said he is itching to begin working with players and staff when the season begins to pick up in spring.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
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