Several Ball State alumni on NFL and Canadian Football League rosters said they look forward to Cardinal head coach Mike Neu’s plans for the program.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver and Ball State alumnus Willie Snead said he thinks Neu will bring a clear plan for the program’s future.
“I think it’s going to be a brand new environment… something fresh for the guys to see,” Snead said. “Neu definitely has a plan, putting a lot of fresh faces into the program, and I think it’s going to be really good.”
Snead played for three seasons under former head coach Pete Lembo but was exposed to Neu in New Orleans, where Neu served as the quarterback coach.
Neu coached Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees, who led the NFL in passing yards with 4,870 – including 984 yards to Snead.
In his three-year career as a Cardinal, Snead hauled in 2,991 yards with former Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning, who is currently on the Cincinnati Bengals roster under center.
Wenning said he is confident that Neu, also a former Ball State quarterback, will move the program in the right direction.
“I think he’ll be a great fit for Ball State; it’s a fresh start,” Wenning said. “I have all the confidence in the world. I’m interested to get to know him a little bit more and see what his plan is.”
Neu set records in a Ball State uniform and still holds the record for passing yards in a single game, with 469 against Toledo in 1993, and the single-season record for completion percentage (65.7 percent in 1993) – but Wenning now holds the records for career passing yards (11,402) and touchdown passes (94).
Wenning broke those records throwing to Snead as well as Jamill Smith – a wide receiver, punt returner and kick returner for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.
Since the CFL season ends in late November, Smith is back in his hometown of Muncie and had the chance to see some of Neu’s offseason coaching.
“It was a great feeling… I feel like they’re going into that with a full head of steam and progressing, and I feel like it’s going to be a good thing,” Smith said, “even if it doesn’t happen off the top because, hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day right?”
Following the Cardinals’ 3-9 2015 campaign, Neu's first coaching performance will be in the team’s spring football game on April 23 at Scheumann Stadium.
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