Justin Thomas’ time with Ball State football has been anything but easy.
After two productive seasons on the defensive line at the University of Indianapolis which included first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore, Thomas felt ready to make the leap from Division II to Division I. He committed to Ball State “on the spot” upon being offered and was expected to serve as the top edge rusher for the 2024 Cardinals, but he never saw the field that season.
During a preseason practice, Thomas went down with a non-contact injury that was eventually diagnosed as a complete tibia fracture and partial fibula fracture. His season was over before it began, and the Cardinals finished that year 3-9 in what would be the final season of the Mike Neu era.
Thomas was now one of the only linebackers left on a team without a coaching staff — not to mention the metal rod inserted in his broken leg.
“It was rough,” Thomas said. “I had never been a part of a team where the coach got fired, and I’m hurt.”
The decision to stay at Ball State was made easier when the Cardinals hired Mike Uremovich to lead the program. Thomas recalled Ryan Lezon — a football operations assistant at Ball State and former running back for Uremovich at Butler — running up and down the hallways of the facility when Uremovich’s hire was made official. When defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles was retained as well, Thomas knew he still had a home in Muncie.
“(Defensive line) coach (Adam) Siwicki called me, probably a week after he got hired, and was telling me how he was excited to coach me,” Thomas said. “I felt at home, and a lot of the staff are from where I’m from, so that also played a factor into my decision of staying here during that transition.”
Thomas continued rehabbing and recovering from his injury and was able to make his return in time for the 2025 season, appearing in all 12 games but making just seven total tackles. His reps were limited not only to help him get back to full speed without aggravating his leg, but also because the Cardinals had a first-team all-MAC defensive end in Nathan Voorhis — who just so happened to be Thomas’ roommate.
With Voorhis now with the New York Jets, Thomas is ready to have a similar impact in his fifth and final season of college football.
“I know I put in extra hours to improve myself and my pass rushing,” Thomas said. “Living with Nate last year, seeing how he carried himself and how he worked every day — I always thought I worked hard, but he rubbed off on me a little bit, helping me push myself a little bit more. I feel like now it’s time for me to bring other people along.”
Thomas’ loyalty to Ball State has put him in a position of leadership on the roster. One of a small handful of players to stick with Uremovich amid the coaching change, he represented the defense at Mid-American Conference media day in Detroit and has been crucial in helping the new staff establish their culture.
“Especially this year, he’s been mentoring the younger guys coming in, and then even mentoring our whole room because we had some transfers coming in,” Siwicki said. “He’s keeping our culture and making sure that everybody’s held accountable. He does everything right on and off the field, and he’s a guy that we can lean on.”
According to Thomas, part of the reason he feels called to mentor his young teammates is because of how quickly the sport has changed around him.
“Being an older guy is easier because you already know what you’ve got to do, but the hard part is getting the younger guys to listen, right?” Thomas said. “They think they know everything, especially now because it’s a different landscape than when I was coming out. The money’s different now, the perception of college football is completely different from when I was getting recruited.
“They got a bunch of people in their ears possibly telling them what they love to hear, but at the end of the day, there is a reality, so just kind of keeping them grounded and emphasizing that putting your head down and going to work is more important than anything else.”
Thomas headlines what should be a deep pass rushing rotation. The Cardinals brought in Jared Badie, another fifth-year senior out of San Diego State, and return redshirt sophomores Layton Starks and Sam Feeney at outside linebacker. They’ll also have 2025 transfers Ben Marsh and George Okorie at defensive end, plus the additions of Maverick Gracio from Pitt and Austin Stief from Davenport.
“We’ve got a lot of guys just putting that extra work in,” Thomas said. “We want to get after the pass because that’s what pays in college football is getting the quarterback down. This year, we’re looking to be the best D-line in the MAC, so we’ll look to set the tone not just by getting after the quarterback but stopping the run too. We take pride in stopping the run first and earning the right to rush the pass on third down.”
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Perseverance, leadership define Justin Thomas’ time with Ball State football
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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By Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
