From The Shadows | The Rise Of "Nitro" Nash Savage (CFB25)

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Ball State Cardinals 2030 Season Recap

The Ball State Cardinals' inaugural season in the Big 12 was, by most accounts, a success. However, inside the program, it ended in yet another frustrating conclusion to a promising campaign. After a scorching 10-0 start—including the program’s first-ever victory over Notre Dame—the Cardinals stumbled late, suffering a crucial loss in Fayetteville to Arkansas. That defeat left them needing outside help to reach their sixth consecutive conference championship game, but Arkansas’ season-ending victory over Missouri officially shut Ball State out of contention.

Despite missing the Big 12 title game, the Cardinals secured their fifth straight College Football Playoff berth. However, their postseason woes continued, as senior quarterback Titus Awe’s five-turnover meltdown led to an early exit. Since their 2027 national championship under Nash Savage, Ball State has gone 0-3 in playoff appearances, leaving fans eager for a breakthrough.

One area of stability heading into 2031 is the coaching staff, as Mark Stoops returns for his second season in Muncie—an encouraging sign after years of coaching turnover. But looming questions persist, particularly on offense, with the departures of four-year standouts Legend Ogbogu and Cortez Duval, as well as three-year starting quarterback Titus Awe.

“The Cardinals have lived and died by Awe over the past three years—for better or worse,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit noted. “Next season will be telling. Was it the play-calling that forced Awe into difficult situations, leading to an NCAA-high 95 interceptions in his career? Or was it simply his inability to adapt to defenses?”

Awe’s production was nothing short of electrifying at times. He amassed over 15,000 passing yards, 175 touchdown passes, and added another 2,000 yards with 40 rushing scores. However, in all five of Ball State’s losses over the past three seasons, Awe’s struggles were a common denominator, throwing at least four interceptions in each defeat.

“Turnovers have obviously been an issue, not just this season but in years prior,” head coach Mark Stoops admitted. “Whether that’s on the players or the coaching staff is irrelevant—we simply have to be better to sustain the level of success that’s now expected in Muncie.”

As the Cardinals turn the page to 2031, the biggest question mark remains at quarterback. Backup PJ Barmore, who has spent the last three seasons behind Awe, is in line to take over, but former four-star recruit Taylor Beckner is also waiting for his shot. Whoever wins the starting job will inherit a wealth of talent in the passing game.

Redshirt freshman Robby Van Maanen emerged as a dynamic playmaker from the slot, racking up 1,542 yards and 19 touchdowns. Meanwhile, converted running back Spencer McElmurry thrived at tight end, hauling in 1,514 yards and 13 scores. Together, they formed one of the nation’s most formidable receiving duos.

The pieces are in place for Ball State to finally break through in 2031 and claim another College Football Playoff victory. However, their success will hinge on one critical factor—limiting turnovers. If they can solve that problem, the Cardinals could be in for a special season.

Ball State Cardinals 2030 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Aug 31	at Notre Dame	Won, 48-35
Sep 7	vs Northern Illinois	Won, 56-17
Sep 14	at USC	Won, 42-21
Sep 28	vs Miami (OH)	Won, 48-22
Oct 12	at SMU	Won, 48-28
Oct 19	vs Houston	Won, 31-14
Oct 26	vs Nebraska	Won, 52-50
Nov 2	at Missouri	Won, 63-20
Nov 9	vs Kansas State	Won, 49-19
Nov 16	at Kansas	Won, 49-13
Nov 23	at Arkansas	Lost, 42-35
Nov 30	vs Iowa State	Won, 66-17
Dec 17	vs Iowa - 1st Round CFP	Lost, 41-40

Ball State Cardinals Stats - 2030
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Titus Awe	269/409 (65%)	5,465	13.4	420.4	84	61	29	213.0
PJ Barmore	9/11 (81%)	62	5.6	4.8	14	3	1	219.1
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Cortez Duval	189	962	5.1	40	15	9	74.0	1
Titus Awe	100	449	4.5	43	9	4	34.5	6
Legend Ogbogu	44	243	5.5	37	5	6	18.7	0
Corey Higdon	19	57	3.0	18	0	3	5.7	0
PJ Barmore	3	11	3.7	5	0	0	4.5	0
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	DROPS	YDS/G	YAC
Robby Van Maanen	78	1,542	19.8	19	80	6	118.6	808
Spencer McElmurry	59	1,514	25.7	13	79	8	116.5	574
DeVante Slaughter	48	1,127	23.5	19	75	5	86.7	372
Lionel Merrick	37	643	17.4	6	84	8	49.5	278
Cortez Duval	30	346	11.5	3	75	4	26.6	263
Legend Ogbogu	7	160	22.9	1	72	3	12.3	98
Spencer Lewis	11	100	9.1	1	21	2	7.7	28
Frank Snyder	2	33	16.5	0	17	2	2.5	3
Zach Byham	2	27	13.5	0	19	1	2.1	18
Jonathan Lacosse	1	14	14.0	1	14	0	1.1	5
Daryl Pope	1	12	12.0	1	12	0	3.0	6
Blocking					PCAKE		SACK
Noah Meeks					-		11
Terrence Madison					-		8
Tyler Carraway					-		5
Shakir Cribbs					-		4
Alonzo Atogwe					-		3
	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TLOSS	PD	INT	TD
FS Steven Tyree	43	11	54	0.5	0	4 (2 FF)	2	0
CB Timothy Hay	40	10	50	0.5	0	4 (FF)	2 (2 FR)	0
MLB Matthew Scroggins	39	10	49	0.5	3	4	1	0
SS John Stock	40	8	48	0	2	7	1	0
MLB Jelani Phillip	40	7	47	2	0	5 (FF)	1 (2 FR)	0
DE Stephen Hippenhammer	34	9	43	10.5	6	2 (FF)	0	0
CB Marcus Badie	29	13	42	0	0	3	3	0
CB Prince Beach	29	12	41	1	1	2	0	0
LB Bart Blackstock	29	6	35	6	3	1	0	0
DT Timote Dove	16	11	27	4	4	1	0	0
DE Rashard Pepper	15	9	24	6	4	0	0	0
CB Cooper Mahoney	17	7	24	0	1	1 (FF)	2 (2FR)	0
SS Jeremy Maslowski	22	2	24	0	1	0	0	0
LB DJ Ojabo	20	2	22	0	0	0	0	0
DT Imani Miles	15	4	19	4.5	2	0 (FF)	0 (2FR)	0
LB Junior Nakamura	14	4	18	0.5	1	0	0	0
FS Pat Ruggins	9	3	12	0	0	0	0	0
DE Melvin Casher	9	3	12	3	0	0	0	0
MLB Diego Camacho	5	3	8	2	0	0	0	0
CB Jimmy Hurns	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0
DE Zac York	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0
DE George Bushman	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0

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2030 Coaching Carousel
**Side Note I'm not going to keep track of every coaching move going forward, just the notable ones and former coaches of Savage.**

Arizona - Brian Lindgreen FIRED // Bret Bielema (Kent State 8-5) HIRED
Auburn - Billy Napier LEFT // Jake Dickert (Western Kentucky 20-8) HIRED
Florida State - Jay Sawvel LEFT // Butch Jones (Colorado State 14-11) HIRED
Kansas State - Chris Klieman LEFT // Joe Harasymiak (Minnesota 9-4) HIRED
Nebraska - PJ Fleck FIRED // Kyle Whittingham (Fresno State 9-5) HIRED
North Carolina - Mike Gundy LEFT // Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss 50-40) HIRED
Notre Dame - Marcus Freeman FIRED // Jeff Brohm (USC 63-18) HIRED
Ole Miss - Lane Kiffin FIRED // Mike Gundy HIRED (North Carolina 40-24)
Stanford - Daron Griggs (CPU) FIRED // Billy Napier (Auburn 9-4) HIRED
TCU - Sonny ****s FIRED // Chris Klieman (Kansas State 70-26) HIRED
Texas A&M - Mike Elko FIRED // Jay Sawvel (Florida State 11-14) HIRED
USC - Jeff Brohm LEFT // Ryan Walters (Army 11-3) HIRED
West Virginia - Tyson Helton FIRED // Sonny ****s (TCU 55-36) HIRED

**No Ball State or Syracuse coordinators took HC positions**

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NFL Draft

Syracuse
JR HB JC Hoag (91) - 2nd Round
SR(RS) G Tyler Bland (91) - 3rd Round
SR MLB Max Shaver (90) - 3rd Round
SR(RS) WR Felix Redwine (89) - 4th Round
SR TE Danny Pace (87) - 5th Round
SR(RS) CB Deron Wusu (87) - 6th Round
SR(RS) WR Carlos Simms (87) - 7th Round

JR DE Jason Veasy (89) decided to stay in school after projecting to be a 5th round pick

Ball State Cardinals
SR HB Cortez Duval (94) - 1st Round
SR LT Shakir Cribbs (92) - 1st Round
SR(RS) HB Legend Ogbogu (88) - 7th Ronud
SR(RS) MLB Matthew Scroggins (88) - 7th Round

JR DT Timote Dove (89) and JR MLB Jelani Phillips (88) both entered the transfer portal due to Playing Style (F)

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Winning On And Off The Field - Savage Secures #1 Class

Syracuse, NY. - As if winning back-to-back National Championships wasn’t enough, the Syracuse Orange continue to dominate off the field as well, securing the No. 1 overall recruiting class for 2030. The Orange originally entered the offseason ranked third, but a late surge—highlighted by the commitments of two four-star linemen (one at center and one at defensive tackle)—vaulted them past Ball State and Texas (which slipped to fifth) to claim the top spot.

With many expecting Heisman-winning defensive end Jason Veasy to make the jump to the NFL, Syracuse put a heavy emphasis on bolstering the defensive line, landing three elite prospects at the position. Headlining the group are Nate Pitoitua (No. 12 overall) and Isaiah Largent (No. 13 overall), two dominant edge rushers who are expected to redshirt after Veasy’s surprising decision to return for his senior season.

While Syracuse’s depth on both sides of the ball makes it difficult for true freshmen to break into the rotation, a few incoming players could make an immediate impact. Keep an eye on Cam Darr, the No. 9 overall prospect, as well as cornerbacks Patrick Rimpf and Shariff Williams, who might see early playing time in a secondary that showed some vulnerability in the National Championship.

“Both Pat and Reef have exceptional cover skills for guys coming straight out of high school,” said head coach Nash Savage. “If there’s one area we need to shore up, it’s the secondary, and those two are going to have every opportunity to prove themselves early.”

To replace graduating center Dennis Strong, the Orange turned to the transfer portal, landing former Virginia Cavalier Derek Metzger, a four-star veteran who will bring experience to an already loaded offensive line.

“Derek has a great skill set, and we were thrilled to bring him in,” Savage said. “Anytime you can grab talent from a rival, it’s a win-win—you strengthen your team while taking away from your competition.”

While Syracuse claimed the top spot, Savage’s former program, Ball State, finished with the No. 3 class, signing 27 total prospects, including four five-stars.

In total, the Orange secured 21 recruits—four five-stars, 16 four-stars, and just one three-star—the fewest total commitments of any team in the top 20, further emphasizing the sheer quality of their incoming class. With the way Syracuse continues to reload, their reign atop college football shows no signs of slowing down.

Syracuse Orange Recruiting - 2030
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Cam Darr (9th)	WR	HS	Lincolnton, NC	6'6	203
Nate Pitoitua (12th)	DE	HS	Buffalo, NY	6'6	270
Isaiah Largent (13th)	DE	HS	Bronx, NY	6'3	271
Ronald Russo (32nd)	T	HS	Bethesda, MD	6'4	321
Mike Spears (57th)	MLB	HS	Ocoee, FL	5'11	227
Sharrif Williams (65th)	CB	HS	Ridgeway, VA	5'10	180
Everett Wegher (84th)	MLB	HS	Bridgton, ME	6'1	243
Tyler Klopfenstein (98th)	MLB	HS	Rumson, NJ	6'0	237
Channing Dillard (136th)	QB	HS	Camden, NJ	6'4	211
Max Magnum (168th)	WR	HS	Cicero, NY	6'2	185
Patrick Rimpf (174th)	CB	HS	Miami, FL	6'1	200
Rob McBurrows (182nd)	LB	HS	Paramus, NJ	6'4	236
Marco Bitonio (252nd)	SS	HS	Sumter, SC	5'11	200
Demar Smythe (314th)	LB	HS	Medford, NJ	6'2	249
Jake Hager (327th)	DE	HS	Monmouth Junction, NJ	6'5	261
Taylor McCleskey (338th(	DT	HS	Burlington, VT	6'2	309
Victor Okeefe (373rd)	LB	HS	Worcester, MA	6'4	262
Anthony Alford (419th)	T	HS	Alexandria, VA	6'7	326
Devon Heaps (1,138th)	K	HS	Summerville, SC	5'11	197
Derek Metzger	C	JUCO So	Virginia	6'3	290
Taylor McMahon	DT	JUCO Jr	Air Force	6'5	309

Top Recruiting Classes - 2030
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
1	Syracuse	4	16	1	0	0	21
2	Ole Miss	3	18	14	0	0	35
3	Ball State	4	14	9	0	0	27
4	Miami	2	23	10	0	0	35
5	Oklahoma	2	24	8	0	0	34
6	Texas	3	22	6	0	0	31
7	Oregon	1	25	9	0	0	35
8	Tennessee	2	16	16	0	0	34
9	Alabama	2	15	5	0	0	22
10	Notre Dame	1	13	19	0	0	33
11	Arkansas	1	13	19	0	0	33
12	Clemson	0	18	9	0	0	27
13	Georgia	0	14	12	0	0	26
14	Missouri	0	11	10	3	0	24
15	Wisconsin	0	17	16	1	0	34
16	Houston	0	11	15	2	0	28
17	Ohio State	0	13	14	0	0	27
18	Penn State	0	7	22	0	0	29
19	Auburn	1	4	20	0	0	25
20	Kansas State	1	4	20	0	0	25
21	Kentucky	0	9	5	7	0	21
22	Michigan	0	6	17	0	0	23
23	TCU	0	6	17	0	0	23
24	LSU	0	8	22	0	0	30
25	Tulane	0	5	17	7	0	29

Ball State Cardinals Recruiting

Spoiler

Ball State Cardinals Recruiting - 2030
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Matthew Dawkins	DE	HS	Chicago, IL	6'6	277
Fetu Sopoaga	DE	HS	Kansas City, MO	6'3	293
Rico Maijeh	DT	HS	Muskegon, MI	6'5	321
Connor Kasay	DE	HS	Blioxi, MS	6'5	294
Brendan Eisen	HB	HS	Mentor, OH	5'10	198
Travis Madu	G	HS	Middletown, OH	6'3	322
Jay Rugamba	TE	HS	Avon, IN	6'3	257
Josh Boone	T	HS	West Lafayette, IN	6'6	315
Bob Buzbee	LB	HS	Chandler, AZ	6'1	233
Leati Tahi	DT	HS	Stockton, CA	6'6	287
DeMarco Calmeat	C	HS	Dayton, OH	6'4	298
Jalen Dunham	DE	HS	Avon, IN	6'4	258
Taylor Landers	G	HS	Brownsburg, IN	6'3	320
Lorenzo Gainwell	CB	HS	Winfield, MO	6'1	195
Byron Griggs	DT	HS	Zionsville, IN	6'4	269
Juan Franco	QB	HS	Henderson, NV	6'3	217
Mike Hatachett	CB	HS	Detroit, MI	6'2	199
Darrius Bostic	LB	HS	Washington, MO	6'1	192
Ezekiel Allen	K	HS	Mentor, OH	6'2	201
Alton Roque	DE	HS	Mishawaka, IN	6'3	273
Emmett Davey	G	HS	Greenwood, IN	6'2	292
Gage Connor	MLB	HS	Hyattsville, MO	6'0	230

Ball State Cardinals Transfers Recruiting - 2030
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Morgan Ervin	C	JUCO So	Indiana	6'1	317
Oscar Tuten	CB	JUCO Jr	Iowa State	6'0	181
Anthony Elam	QB	JUCO Jr	Iowa State	6'0	222
Alex Carmazzi	G	JUCO Jr	Louisville	6'5	327
Duke Mankins	T	JUCO Jr	Louisville	6'6	303

Notable Transfer Portal Signees

Spoiler

Name	Position	Previous School	New School
Jeff Kircus	QB	UAB	Tennessee
Anthony Elam	QB	Iowa State	Ball State
Dalton Baggs	HB	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma
Jon Elway	HB	Minnesota	Ohio State
De'Angelo Ramey	HB	UAB	Georgia
RJ McCollum	HB	LSU	TCU
Imani Muamba	WR	Indiana	Tennessee
Steve Bourne	T	Louisiana	Georgia
Charles Brown	T	Georgia Southern	Tennessee
TJ Kaser	T	Minnesota	Wisconsin
John Fox	G	Texas A&M	Ohio State
Krisitan Hart	G	Missouri	Oklahoma
Leonard Hunter	G	Missouri	Oklahoma
Morgan Ervin	C	Indiana	Ball State
Derek Metzger	C	Virginia	Syracuse
Zhaire Upshaw	DE	Purdue	Iowa
Greg Pili	DE	Florida State	Florida
Keegan Mayer	DE	Maryland	Clemson
Tiomte Dove	DT	Ball State	Georgia Southern
Neil Rodenhauser	DT	Nevada	San Jose State
Taylor McMahon	DT	Air Force	Syracuse
Fianu Tavai	LB	Utah	Texas
Jelani Phillip	MLB	Ball State	Wisconsin
Tye Carnegie	CB	SMU	Clemson
Oscar Tutten	CB	Iowa State	Ball State
Jason Samuelson	CB	Notre Dame	Clemson
Dillon Lanning	FS	Texas A&M	Georgia
Keon Mast	SS	Purdue	Texas

[Deuce2223]

I wouldn't want to face either one of those D-Line's.. Holy crap...

How good is the QB transfer for Ball State.. Just a backup or does he have a legit shot at replacing Awe

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Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

I wouldn't want to face either one of those D-Line's.. Holy crap... How good is the QB transfer for Ball State.. Just a backup or does he have a legit shot at replacing Awe

I was completely shocked when Veasy was listed as a projected 5th round pick and had a "Very Easy" persuasion attempt, I'd loaded up on Dline prospects anticipating having to replace him. Now they all get to redshirt a year and get even better lol For Ball State, I knew Dove was leaving. I guess the sim defense gives up a ton of rushing yards because all of my run stopper defenders had an F for playstyle and it was Phillips and Dove's deal breakers. Going to rotate a bunch of guys around to see who makes the biggest impact.

The QB is an 82 OVR, so he's going to battle it out with Beckner for the starting job. Barmore got moved to RB, even though he was an 82 OVR QB as well, my highest rated HB before progression was a 72 true freshman, but Barmore was an 85 OVR HB so he moved over. I used him sparingly when we were up big and I never got a good feel for him, so I don't think he would have beat out either Elam or Beckner.

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Pre-Season Top 25 & All Americans

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Aug 1, 2031
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	OVR	OFF	DEF
1	Syracuse	91	92	91
2	Tennessee	87	87	87
3	Alabama	90	90	91
4	Texas	89	91	89
5	Miami	88	87	89
6	Arkansas	85	85	86
7	Ball State	89	90	89
8	Houston	86	85	87
9	North Carolina	83	82	85
10	Auburn	85	85	86
11	Boston College	82	81	84
12	Kansas State	86	86	87
13	USC	89	89	89
14	Boise State	83	81	85
15	Clemson	90	90	91
16	Ohio State	91	90	92
17	Illinois	82	82	82
18	Iowa	82	84	82
19	Oklahoma	89	90	89
20	Minnesota	84	84	85
21	Oregon	89	89	89
22	Georgia	91	90	92
23	Baylor	86	85	87
24	Louisiana Tech	78	77	80
25	Duke	83	82	84

1st Team	School	Position	2nd Team	School
Jamar Mevis	Miami	QB	Nick Jimenez	Texas
Gregory Carver	Alabama	HB	Avery Penny	Oklahoma
Jaren Freeman	Maryland	HB	Edward Shakir	Miami
Rashaun Lincoln	Oregon	WR	Cedrick Woodhead	Tennessee
Josh Eddy	Alabama	WR	AJ Yeast	Miami
Mike Johnson	Miami	WR	Spencer Lewis	Ball State
Don Zimmerman	Syracuse	TE	Joshua Frederick	Oklahoma
Antwuan Loudermilk	Syracuse	T	Dennis Durant	Ohio State
Ben Teamer	Oklahoma	G	Paul Dwyer	Oregon
Kordell Rhodes	Minnesota	C	Eric Nawrath	USC
Tavares Marshall	Ohio State	G	Diego Pina	Houston
Kenan Cushenberry	Penn State	T	Fredrick Toomer	Ohio State
Taylor Bradbury	Oregon	DE	Jason Veasy	Syracuse
Brendan Deiter	Kansas State	DE	Rudy Graff	Ohio State
Zay Gage	Alabama	DT	Nate Hagg	Washington
Hugh Sylvan	Texas	DT	Emmett Schlotmann	Clemson
Kamryn Ramsay	Miami	LB	Stephen McNeil	Oklahoma
Pat Spriggs	NC State	MLB	Darrius Ahmad	USC
Stephen Amundson	Tennessee	LB	Joe Harms	Penn State
Quentin Titus	Auburn	CB	Ben Martinez	Alabama
Santiago Crecelius	Oklahoma	CB	Cliff Ekiyor	Alabama
Patrick Dumervil	Ohio State	FS	George Ordonez	Oregon
Jarius Capps	Oklahoma	SS	Emmanuel Catapano	Kansas State
Dominick Furio	Clemson	K	Desmond Brewer	Syracuse
Dafari Obada	Minnesota	P	Trevor Thurber	Notre Dame