It all starts up front on offense, and Ball State football will be no different with a new-look offensive line in 2025.
Ball State will kick off its season on Saturday, Aug. 30, with an in-state road game at Purdue. They are coming off a 3-9 season and haven’t qualified for a bowl game since 2021, but new head coach Mike Uremovich will look to lead a quick turnaround.
With the season two weeks away, we’re breaking down the Cardinals’ roster position by position. Here’s our breakdown of the Ball State football offensive line.
Ball State returns one big starter to the offensive line
Last season, Ball State returned four out of five starters to its offensive line, which had 117 career starts between them by the 2024 season opener. That won’t be the case in 2025, as only redshirt junior Chris Hood returns from last season’s starting group after making seven starts at left tackle and one at right guard. Hood is a towering presence at 6-foot-10, 315 pounds, and figures to maintain a starting tackle spot while being a leader in the o-line room.
“I think it’s definitely more of a ‘lead by example’ type,” Hood said of his leadership style. “I think being able to lead by example, if I’m not the most vocal person being able to tell them it’s going to be faster, then being able to show them what’s going to work and what’s not going to work in a game.”
Outside of Hood, Division I experience on this offensive line is limited, and the unit has struggled against the Cardinals’ deep defensive front at times in training camp. However, there are two intriguing options at tackle opposite Hood.
Redshirt freshman Tristan Cook is a former three-star recruit who made two appearances as a true freshman and was listed as a starter on a 2024 preseason depth chart before sustaining a season-ending injury, earning a medical hardship extension. Where he brings young upside, redshirt senior Adam Dolan brings experience as a three-year starter for Uremovich at Butler, where he was named first-team all-Pioneer League each of the last two years.
Both Cook and Dolan have taken reps with the first team in training camp, but Uremovich has made it clear throughout the offseason that the starting five on the offensive line is still a work in progress.
Competition continues on the interior
At guard, Aaron Roberts, a redshirt senior transfer from Purdue, has seen some first team work recently and brings solid experience to the table, while redshirt junior Luke Dalton returns after making one start at the end of last season. Redshirt sophomore Isaac Lucas has drawn praise from his teammates and coaches and could also be making a push for a starting role. He credits some of the veterans on the line like Hood with bringing the young group along.
“They played a huge role,” Lucas said. “There are a lot of older guys, and Chris, who’s played and he’s been here four years. Just having those guys to lean back on and rely on and know they’re going to do their parts, it’s a nice feeling, honestly.”
Other young players like redshirt freshmen Zach Bandy and Grant Haworth have impressed at guard in camp, but this position seems to be the most fluid in terms of projecting starters, and nothing will be certain until the Monday before Week 1.
Redshirt junior Cole Mosier has seen a lot of action with the first team at center. He missed all of last season with a preseason injury but made nine appearances for the Cardinals in 2023, including a handful of packages that included him as an extra tight end. Redshirt senior Otto Hess, a transfer from Boston College, brings more experience to the position and could also be in play for the starting job. Mosier highlighted the unit’s communication as an area of improvement so far in camp.
“I think we’re getting to a point where we can really just kind of see what’s happening, and it’s like we don’t really have to think about it,” Mosier said. “It’s quick reactions, and we’re gelling really well.”
Alex Barr: ‘I wish it was hotter’
Despite the sweltering August heat in Indiana, Ball State offensive line coach Alex Barr is most often seen at practice in a hoodie and sweatpants. A former offensive lineman himself, he wants his players to sweat and pay the heat no mind.
“It’s just all a mindset thing,” Barr said. “I wish it were hotter, to be honest with you, so the guys are sweating a little bit more. We don’t get hot. We don’t care if it’s hot.”
A decade ago, Barr was in the same shoes as those players as a starting guard for North Carolina State. His offensive line coach there was none other than Uremovich, whom he would later coach with at Northern Illinois and Butler before following him to Muncie this offseason. Although Uremovich has roots as an offensive line coach, he lets Barr do his thing in practice.
“Coach Barr does a great job with them,” Uremovich said. “Obviously, I’m involved with the whole offense, but it’s his position. I actually really rarely go down there, because when I do, I just screw him up. He’s a much better coach than I ever was.”
With situational scrimmages and a mock game set for the last weekend of fall camp, Barr is hopeful that the unit continues to progress as the Cardinals get closer to kickoff at Purdue.
“I’m going to see how those guys do with more of a live setting, not scripted plays and things like that and see how they’re able to execute,” Barr said. “I don’t think that there’s a certain weak point that we need to improve, just continuing to improve and work.”
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State football position preview: Open race to determine starting offensive linemen
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
