Ball State football recruits showcase athleticism in multiple sports
By Colin Grylls / February 2, 2017Ball State's recruiting class features several athletes who played something other than football in high school.
Ball State's recruiting class features several athletes who played something other than football in high school.
One year ago, Mike Neu took over as the head coach for the Ball State football team, right at the tail-end of the recruiting season. But this season’s recruiting class was different.
247sports.com ranking the signing day haul second in the Mid-American Conference and Rivals.com ranked the class third.
For Ball State football, National Signing Day added 27 student-athletes the their 2017 class.
It’s about time. There have been plenty of start-up football leagues looking to tap into the popularity of a sport that features televised games almost every night of the week at the peak of the fall.
Former Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning found a new home on Tuesday when he was signed to the New York Giants practice squad. Wenning, who has been in the NFL since 2014, has had stints playing on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad along with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Former Ball State football player Robert Eddins was found dead in Detroit, Michigan, Tuesday night, according to reports from WXYZ 7 Action News.
Ball State benefits because teams that make it to any bowl game earn a payout that is put into a pool that its respective conference can disperse among full members. Just by playing No. 8 Wisconsin on Jan. 2, Western Michigan will earn $4 million for the MAC, according to the College Football Playoff revenue distribution projections.
Thanksgiving brought a much-needed break for most Ball State students, but several Cardinals teams were still playing over break. When many students were driving home Tuesday night, Ball State football was taking on Miami (Ohio), men's basketball was in Las Vegas and women's basketball was in Savannah, Georgia. A pair of former Ball State football players also had a memorable week, including a championship in Canada.
Mabon finished last week's 21-20, season-ending loss at Miami with 244 career catches, breaking the mark Dante Ridgeway set in 2004 for the most receptions in Ball State program history.
Sophomore James Gilbert already had 13 rushing yards when he took the handoff with 3:13 left in the first quarter. The 5-foot-8-inch running back bursted through the line and veered left, leaving the Miami defense in the dust.
Miami (6-6, 6-2 MAC) picked up two first downs on the ground and clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010 with its 21-20 victory over Ball State Nov. 22 at Yager Stadium.
Senior wide receiver KeVonn Mabon is now the leading pass catcher in Ball State football history. With a 7-yard catch in the second quarter of Tuesday's season finale against Miami, Mabon moved into first place on Ball State's all-time receptions list with his 239th career grab.
Quarter updates from Yager Stadium as Ball State (4-7, 1-6 MAC) takes on Mid-American Conference East Division rival Miami (5-6, 5-2 MAC) in the final game of the season
Jake Fox, the Daily News football reporter, is traveling to the Nov. 22 game and offered up some insight on the key positional matchups:
The Cardinals (4-7, 1-6 MAC) travel to Yager Stadium to take on the Miami RedHawks Nov. 22 in the final game of the regular season.
The schools will start playing every season starting next year, even though they reside in different divisions in the Mid-American Conference.
Ball State's loss to Toledo Nov. 16 went beyond the 37-19 final score, as it effectively ended any chance it had at bowl consideration.
Eyes strained to see across the field, the ball almost disappearing at times when a pass or punt lifted it into the fog.
Toledo (9-2, 6-1 MAC) combined its fast start with a dominating second-half effort to hand Ball State (4-7, 1-6 MAC) a 37-19 loss at the Glass Bowl Wednesday night.
