Mike Neu’s reputation at Ball State was high just a few years ago.
The then-Cardinals head coach led the program, which he used to play quarterback for and was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 1993, to a MAC Championship in 2020. Ball State was even ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and won the Arizona Bowl that year.
Then Ball State went 6-6 during the regular season in 2021 and lost in the Camellia Bowl. And steadily since then, the Cardinals have only been worse. They went 5-7 in 2022 before going 4-8 a season ago. They’ve started this year 3-7 with a 2-4 record in the MAC.
That led to Neu being fired and Ball State making offensive line coach Colin Johnson the team’s interim head coach for the Cardinals’ last two games of the regular season.
Here are some coaches the Cardinals might consider to hire as their next head coach in 2025.
Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock
Denbrock would make a ton of sense for Ball State if he were interested.
Denbrock has coached in the area for years. He’s worked with offensive linemen, tight ends, and wide receivers over the years at Notre Dame, but he’s also coached at a variety of other schools as well. He was LSU’s OC and tight ends coach before this from 2022-23, and was an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Cincinnati from 2017-21.
Denbrock hasn’t been a head coach at the collegiate level, but he has been an associate head coach, including at Notre Dame from 2015-16 and at Indiana State in 2009.
Denbrock’s name has come up plenty of times when it comes to college football hot seats and potential head coaching hires this season. If he were open to taking a G5 head coaching job, Ball State would be a good fit.
Kansas State Assistant Head Coach Van Malone
Malone hasn’t been a head coach at the collegiate level yet, but he has a good amount of experience as a coordinator and positions coach at several FBS programs.
Malone, who is also a defensive passing game coordinator and a cornerbacks coach, has been at Kansas State since 2019. Last year, the Wildcats were 18th in passing efficiency defense (118.63) and were 10th in the country with 16 interceptions the season before. Several K-State defensive backs have earned All-Big 12 accolades during Malone’s tenure.
Previously, Malone was a defensive quality control coach at Mississippi State (2018) and a defensive coordinator at SMU (2015-17). He also worked with defensive backs at Oklahoma State (2012-14), Tulsa (2010-11), Texas A&M (2006-09), North Texas (2005), and Western Michigan (2004). He was a wide receivers coach at North Dakota State in 2003, so he has worked with both sides of the ball. He also coached special teams at Western Michigan and North Texas.
Malone has the experience needed to be a great candidate.
Idaho Head Coach Jason Eck
Eck is one of the top head coaches in the FCS, and he already has experience at Ball State.
Eck is in his third season as Idaho’s head coach. The Vandals went 7-4 during the regular season in 2022, earning a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2016, and were 9-4 last year as they reached the FCS quarterfinals. Idaho is one of the top teams in the Big Sky and FCS again in 2024.
Before that, he was the offensive coordinator at South Dakota State from 2019-21 and the team’s offensive line coach from 2016-19. Going back to 2000, he’s also been an assistant at Montana State, Minnesota State-Mankato, Western Illinois, Hampton, Ball State, Winona State, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
Eck has proven he can take a program to the next level and is the exact type of coach Ball State would want.
Washington State Offensive Coordinator Ben Arbuckle
Arbuckle is only in his second season as Washington State’s OC and quarterbacks coach. But he’s made an impact quickly.
This year, WSU is top 20 in the country with 452.1 yards and 39.3 points per game. A season ago, the Cougars were in the top 40 in the nation in terms of scoring offense with 31.7 points per game and total offense with 421.7 yards per game. Cameron Ward, WSU’s QB in 2023, was in the top 10 in the FBS with 3,735 passing yards and top 20 with 25 touchdowns. He’s now a Heisman Trophy candidate with Miami.
Before WSU, Arbuckle was a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Kentucky. In 2022, the Hilltoppers were in the top 15 in the nation with yards per game (497.3) and points per game (36.4) as quarterback Austin Reed led the country with 4,746 yards and was third with 40 touchdowns.
Arbuckle hasn’t been coaching at the collegiate level long, but he was at one point on 247Sports’ 30-Under-30 list, which recognizes up-and-coming college football coaches. Considering he’s shown great expertise on the offensive side of the ball and has coached in the area, maybe Ball State should consider him.
Indiana Defensive Coordinator Bryant Haines
Haines followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana, and he has been stellar as the Hoosiers’ DC thus far.
Going into Week 12, Indiana is in the top 10 in the FBS in terms of scoring defense (13.8 points allowed per game) and total defense (255.5 yards per game allowed).
Before his current job, he was instrumental in JMU’s transition to the Sun Belt. He was promoted to DC and linebackers coach after three years as a co-defensive coordinator.
In just their first season as an FBS program, the Dukes allowed the eighth-fewest yards per game in the country with 290.2 while allowing just 20.9 points per game. They were also top 10 in rushing defense, tackles for loss per game, first downs allowed, sacks per game, third-down defense, and fumble recoveries.
In 2023, JMU was in the top 20 in the FBS with 19.5 points per game allowed and the top 30 in the country with 333.8 yards per game allowed.
Haines knows defense and the region, so he could be a good fit for Ball State.
