Ball State University Football

Printable Bio (PDF) On3.com (Aug. 20, 2025): Purdue Alum Mike Uremovich Returns as Ball State Head Coach Mike Uremovich assumed football leadership duties at...

Adam Siwicki joined the Ball State football program in December of 2024 as the team's defensive run-game coordinator and defensive line coach. Siwicki arrive...

Alex Barr joined the Ball State coaching staff in December of 2024, following head coach Mike Uremovich after a three-year stint together at Butler. Barr arrived at Butler in January of 2022, working as the Bulldog's run-game coordinator and offensive line coach during his first season on campus and was promoted to offensive coordinator before the start of the 2023 campaign. A three-year starter as an offensive lineman under Uremovich at North Carolina State, Barr joined the Butler staff after spending the 2021 campaign with the Wolfpack as a graduate assistant. With Barr as the offensive coordinator, the Bulldogs ranked first or second in the PFL in scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense in both 2023 and 2024. BU's 214.4 rush yards per game in 2024 were seventh among FCS teams and its 407.8 yards of total offense ranked 28th. Barr's 2023 offense and offensive line paved the way for PFL Offensive Player of the Year and third-team All-American Jyran Mitchell who ended the regular season with 1,268 rushing yards, the ninth-most ever at Butler in a single-season. He ranked fifth among all FCS running backs in rushing yards per game and seventh in total rushing yards. Behind Mitchell, BU averaged 28.9 points per game in 2023. A year later, Barr's troops scored even more – leading PFL and ranking ninth nationally with 35.6 points scored per game. Counting a 27.2 points per game average in Barr's first season at Butler, the Bulldogs averaged over 27 points over three co

Craig Harmon was named offensive pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ball State in December 2024. He joins the Cardinals staff where he is re-united with Mike Uremovich after stints together at Northern Illinois, Temple and St. Francis. Harmon spent the past four years at Chicago-area high schools, where he helped Batavia High School and Benet Academy to playoff appearances in three of those four seasons. As an admissions counselor and offensive coordinator at Benet, Harmon led the Redwings to numerous offensive records over two seasons and reached the IHSA 5A state playoffs in 2024 for the first time since 2019. Following his time at Temple, he assisted West Chicago powerhouse Batavia to a No. 1 seed in the playoffs in 2021. A year later the Bulldogs reached the IHSA state final. Harmon was quarterbacks coach for two years at Temple, arriving with Uremovich in 2019 following their time together under coach Rod Carey at Northern Illinois, too. He had a variety of positions on Carey’s staff at NIU, but was the quarterbacks coach from 2016-18. Under Uremovich as offensive coordinator, the 2018 Huskies amassed 2,175 passing yards and 15 touchdowns with six different receivers catching TDs. The 2016 Huskies employed four different QB starters, yet embraced the “next man up” philosophy while combining to complete 58 percent of their passes for 2,688 yards and 20 touchdowns. Harmon was the tight ends/fullbacks/special teams coordinator in 2015 and was the tight ends and

A three-year assistant coach under Mike Uremovich at Butler, Jalen Moss was named snipers coach for the Cardinals in December of 2024. A former student-athlete at Indiana State who played his high school ball down the road from Muncie at Fishers High School, Moss leads a hybrid unit in Jeff Knowles' defensive coaching scheme that blends the role of linebackers and safeties. Moss was hired by Uremovich at Butler in July of 2022 as cornerbacks coach. He helped Butler’s defense lead the Patriot Football League (PFL) and rank in the top 10 nationally the past two seasons in scoring defense: 17.5 (7th) in 2023 and 16.3 (3rd) in 2024. BU cornerbacks were active under Moss' tutelage the past three seasons, and improved their productivity each year. After Butler's defense picked off eight passes with 28 break-ups in 2022, the Bulldogs collected nine interceptions with 39 break-ups a year later. Last season, Butler led the PFL and ranked 17th among FCS schools with 14 passes intercepted. Seven different Bulldogs picked off passes in 2023 and eight had interceptions in 2024. Moss spent the 2021 season as a senior at Indiana State after beginning his collegiate playing career at the University of Saint Francis (Fort Wayne, Ind.). While with the Sycamores, Moss recorded 10 tackles (eight solo, two assisted) and finished the year with one fumble recovery. He came up with a season-high four tackles in a game vs. Eastern Kentucky. Moss earned a bachelor’s degree in business management at Sa

Jeff Knowles was hired as Ball State's defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach on Jan. 4, 2024. Under the direction of Mike Uremovich, he assumes responsibility for the Cardinals' full linebacking corps. “Jeff’s defenses have been respected at every stop of his career,” said former Ball State coach Mike Neu when Knowles was hired. “We encountered first-hand the great job that he did at NIU. He has a great reputation, especially here in the Midwest, and I am excited to see our defense continue to evolve under his leadership.” Knowles made a return to the Mid-American Conference while joining the Ball State coaching staff. He spent the previous two seasons guiding defensive efforts at Butler where he shaped the Bulldogs into one of the best defenses in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Butler was among FCS leaders in red zone defense and finished in the top 10 in scoring defense and top 25 in total defense. He was tabbed the defensive coordinator at Butler in January of 2022 and was promoted to assistant head coach prior to the 2023 campaign. In his first season at Butler, Knowles called the defense for Butler’s 31-0 shutout victory over Dayton. The result snapped Dayton’s longest scoring streak in Division I football (501 games). It also doubled as the first shutout of Knowles’ collegiate coaching career. Knowles has a pedigree of success that includes stints at St. Francis, NC State, NIU, Temple and Butler. At each of those stops and, since the fifth gra

FootballSkip AdSuchy, JoeyBarr, AlexBunch, MadisonChase, SeanFiacable, NickHarmon, CraigHolmes, RayKnowles, JeffMannering, RoryMilham, JosiahMoss, JalenOlootu, MayomiSiwicki, AdamSmith, RaySuchy, JoeyUrbanski, SamUremovich, MikeVann, Shaq

FootballSkip AdMilham, JosiahBarr, AlexBunch, MadisonChase, SeanFiacable, NickHarmon, CraigHolmes, RayKnowles, JeffMannering, RoryMilham, JosiahMoss, JalenOlootu, MayomiSiwicki, AdamSmith, RaySuchy, JoeyUrbanski, SamUremovich, MikeVann, Shaq

Madison Bunch joined the Ball State coaching staff as running backs coach in December 2024, after serving in the same capacity at Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) in the 2024 season. Bunch spent the 2023 campaign as an offensive analyst and assistant running backs coach at Big Ten Conference member Rutgers University. Prior to Rutgers, Bunch was SEMO’s recruiting coordinator and assistant wide receivers coach during the Redhawks’ 2022 Ohio Valley Conference championship season. Bunch spent a year on the staff at North Alabama in 2021, after serving as a graduate assistant at Arkansas Tech during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He began his coaching career in 2018 as wide receivers coach at Hendrix College, after a playing career split between stints at Southern Nazarene and Central Arkansas. Bunch earned his bachelor’s degree at Central Arkansas in 2018. He earned a master’s degree at Arkansas Tech in 2020.

Mayomi Olootu was elevated to Ball State's assistant secondary coach in December 2024. He served as a graduate assistant coach for the defense during the 2024 season. Olootu (pronounced oh-LOW-too) arrived in Muncie after coaching three seasons at McKinney High School in Texas where he served as the defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Over his three-year span with the Lions, 12 defensive backs advanced to Division I colleges. A Texas high school star himself, Olootu led Allen High School to a pair of 6A state titles (2012 & 2013) before pursuing his college career at Northern Illinois. Olootu and the Huskies captured the Mid-American Conference title during his freshman campaign in 2014 while sparking a run of three bowl games in four seasons (2014, 2015, 2017). Over a 44-game career with the Huskies, Olootu broke up 12 passes with four interceptions. One of those went for a 42-yard touchdown as a sophomore against Kent State. He earned a bachelor's degree in corporate communications from NIU in 2018 and remained on campus as a graduate assistant working with the Huskie Fund in the NIU athletics department. He was awarded a master's degree in sport management in 2020. Olootu returned to his Texas roots for three years at McKinney, but came back to college football and the MAC in 2024. His promotion prior to the 2025 season comes as he was re-united with head coach Mike Uremovich, one of his former coaches at NIU.

Nick Fiacable was appointed as Ball State's special teams coordinator in December 2024, following two seasons as a special teams analyst at Connecticut. He helped the Huskies to the 2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl. Returning to his home state of Indiana, Fiacable arrived in Muncie through his connection with UConn assistant coach Doug Shearer, who coached for two seasons with Mike Uremovich at NC State. Prior to his time with UConn, he spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as a graduate assistant at Slippery Rock, working with the running backs and tight ends. Fiacable attended Indiana University and worked with the Hoosiers' football program during his time in Bloomington. First as a recruiting intern and working his way to an offensive student assistant in 2019, he was elevated to an assistant quality control position prior to graduation. After collecting a degree from IU in sport marketing and management, he received a full-time position as running backs coach at Division III Wabash College during the 2020 season. The Fort Wayne native comes from a football family with deep roots at IU and Bishop Dwenger High School. His father and three brothers all played football at IU. His dad, Steve, was an IU offensive lineman (1988-91), as was his oldest brother, also Steve (2009-10). Older brother, Mike, was an IU quarterback (2015-18) and younger brother Vince is a current offensive lineman with the Hoosiers. Fiacable graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School in 2016, after playing wide receive

Ray Holmes joined the Ball State football program in January of 2024 as the team's inside receivers coach. He came to Ball State after serving three years un...

A 19-year coaching veteran who has been a defensive secondary coach since 2006, Ray Smith was named Ball State's defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach in December of 2024. Smith returns to the Mid-American Conference where he was a first-team All-MAC defensive back with Northern Illinois. He also returns to his home state of Indiana where he received his first Division I coaching position. Most recently, Smith spent the 2024 season at Kennesaw State, following seven years at Southeast Missouri (SEMO). As the cornerbacks coach at Kennesaw, he helped the Owls transition into the FBS ranks, joining Conference USA in July 2024 and shocking Top 25-ranked Liberty for the program's first FBS victory. He developed a pair of all-conference corners in JeRico Washington Jr., and Tyler Hallum. While at SEMO, Smith served as the cornerbacks coach from 2017-23 and spent the final three seasons as the Redhawks’ defensive pass game coordinator. In 2022, SEMO used 10 different players including All-American Lawrence Johnson, to tally 11 interceptions. In 2020, Smith's pass defense ranked second in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and eighth in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) with 10 interceptions. In 2018, his second year at SEMO, the Redhawks’ defense led the nation in three different categories: turnover margin, turnovers gained and interceptions. Prior to SEMO, Smith spent 2015 and 2016 as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Division II So

student-athletes," said Uremovich. "He has led one of the nation’s top defenses as a coordinator and has shown to be a very successful recruiter in our footprint." In his lone year with the Butler program, the Bulldogs boasted a top 10 FCS ranking in points allowed (4th) as well as points scored (9th). Prior to his tenure with Uremovich, Mannering worked as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at DePauw. The Tigers held a 31-6 record over four seasons with Mannering calling the defense and were able to win three North Coast Athletic Conference Championships. DePauw had the league's defensive player of the year for three straight years and placed 27 student-athletes on all-conference teams. The 2022 DePauw defense paced the NCAC in scoring defense, rush defense, pass defense and total defense. The 2023 team was nearly as good leading in three of the four categories. Also a top recruiter with the Tigers, Mannering boasts local ties after cultivating talent in Indianapolis, Northeast Indiana and Chicago. His influence spans to Ohio after spending five seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Denison University. Mannering served at Denison from 2015-19 where he primarily led the defensive backs. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2019 when the Big Red promptly led the NCAC in scoring defense, total defense, rush defense, pass defense, sacks and fumble recoveries. Denison posted a 38-13 record during his tenure, including back-to-back NCAC co-ch

FootballSkip AdUrbanski, SamBarr, AlexBunch, MadisonChase, SeanFiacable, NickHarmon, CraigHolmes, RayKnowles, JeffMannering, RoryMilham, JosiahMoss, JalenOlootu, MayomiSiwicki, AdamSmith, RaySuchy, JoeyUrbanski, SamUremovich, MikeVann, Shaq

Sean Chase manages coaching duties for tight ends since arriving at Ball State in December 2024. Prior to arriving with head coach Mike Uremovich in Muncie, Chase coached tight ends and running backs at Butler in 2023 and 2024 while serving as the program's run game coordinator. With Chase managing the run game at Butler, the Bulldogs were prolific in his two seasons, averaging 11th among FCS teams in 2023 (202 yards per game) and eighth in 2024 (214 per game). The 2023 backfield was led by PFL Offensive Player of the Year and third-team All-American Jyran Mitchell who ended the regular season with 1,268 rushing yards, the ninth-most ever at Butler in a single-season. He ranked fifth among all FCS running backs in rushing yards per game and seventh in total rushing yards. Without Mitchell in 2024, the 'Dawgs actually increased their rushing output. Prior to his stint at Butler, Chase coached at Culver-Stockton College and Northern Illinois, rising all the way from a post as student equipment manager at NIU to, seven years later, his promotion as associate head coach at Culver-Stockton in 2022. Over five years at NAIA Culver-Stockton in Canton, Missouri, Chase maneuvered from offensive line coach in 2018, to offensive coordinator in 2021 and associate head coach a year later – always while leading the offensive line. He even led the Wildcats to a 49-21 win as interim head coach in one game. Chase began his stint at C-SC after two seasons as a graduate assistant at NIU. In 2019

Shaq Vann joined Ball State's coaching staff on Feb. 14, 2024, as wide receivers coach. In his first full-time coaching position last season, he guided a pair of Cardinals wide receivers, Malcolm Gillie and Cam Pickett, who earned all-conference recognition. Vann is a former running back at Eastern Michigan who now leads the Cardinals' receiving unit after working in 2023 as a graduate assistant with national championship runner-up Washington. He was a three-time team captain with the Eagles while helping EMU to bowl games in 2016, 2018 and 2019. A native of South Bend, Indiana, Vann earned a master's degree at EMU while serving as a graduate assistant for two seasons before landing at Washington. With the Huskies, Vann coached receivers and scout teams and oversaw their signaling operation on game days. He coached three of the top receivers in college football last season, with each of them scheduled to attend the NFL Combine. Vann ranks sixth in the EMU record book with 24 career touchdowns and finished his EMU career seventh with a career 2,577 rushing yards.