College football program fires head coach after 3-7 start to 2024 season
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Ball State has parted aways with head coach Mike Neu, according to a report.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel shared that news on Saturday morning. Thamel notes that Ball State is just 3-7 this season and the Cardinals have gone 40-63 overall in 9 seasons with Neu at the helm.
Sources: Ball State has fired coach Mike Neu, as the Cardinals are 3-7 and Neu has gone 40-63 in nine seasons there. Neu won the MAC title in 2020, which was his only winning season there. He led Ball State to a pair of bowl games in his tenure. pic.twitter.com/AqwGnnzWLp
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 16, 2024
Ball State is idle in Week 12, so the change isn’t coming hours before a game for the Cardinals. Still, the timing of this decision is curious — particularly for a coach who has spent nearly a decade at the program.
Ball State’s best season under Neu came back in 2020 when the Cardinals went 7-1 in a pandemic-shortened campaign. That season included a win over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl, which remains the only bowl game victory in program history.
In 2021, Neu led Ball State to a 6-6 regular season and an appearance in Camellia Bowl. However, the Cardinals have been under .500 in MAC play in 3 consecutive seasons since that bowl appearance.
The 2024 coaching carousel is already starting. Ball State joins programs like Kennesaw State, East Carolina, Fresno State, Utah State and more that have already opened. Multiple Power-4 jobs are expected to open in the coming weeks as well.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
