Ball State managed to land a verbal commitment from one of the Bluegrass State’s top quarterbacks last week as Martha Layne Collins High School (Ky.) gunslinger Kade Goodin gave Mike Uremovich and his staff a verbal pledge. While the 6-foot-3, 200-pound passer still has another year of high school football to go, he is eager to get started in Muncie.
“They offered me on April 3rd, and I was really excited,” said Goodin, who committed two days later. “I love their coaches, program, and facilities a lot. Once they offered and I talked with my family, I knew quickly I wanted to commit. I just knew it was the right decision for me.”
Despite a rough-and-tumble 2025 season where the Cardinals finished with a 4-8 record, Goodin has confidence in Uremovich and his staff given their previous experience of building a winning program at Butler.
“The coaching staff has a winning resume and the offense they run fits my style of play which was really important as I considered my options,” Goodin said. “The coaches really love me and spent time really getting to know me and evaluating my skills. The relationship I have built over time with the coaches was probably one of the biggest factors for me personally. I really connected with the people and culture they’ve built within their program which ultimately made it an easy decision.”
“The QB coach, Coach (Craig) Harmon, is someone I have been communicating with for a while and we have a great relationship,” Goodin said. “He recruited me hard and we built a one-of-a-kind relationship. Coach U is also someone I’ve built a relationship with over time. The way they take their time in recruiting and really building a relationship is something I admire.”
Goodin becomes the first verbal pledge for the Cardinals’ recruiting class for 2027. Collins finished with an 8-4 record in 2025, and Goodin is looking to take them to new levels in 2026.
“There are a lot of things I will continue to work on because I am always striving to get better at every aspect of my game, but if I had to pick one area I would say arm strength,” he said. “As a QB, I can never have too much of that.”
