After a dissatisfactory season in 2024, Ball State will enter a full rebuild during the 2024-2025 offseason on the heels of a 3-9 season. On top of finding a new head coach, the Cardinals will now have to replace their top receiver with standout sophomore Cam Pickett entering the transfer portal.

Pickett, a former three-star recruit, hits the portal after playing in just one of his three years with Mike Neu in Muncie, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported. Thamel noted that Pickett expects to have three years of eligibility remaining.

Though he played in just one of his three seasons with Ball State, Pickett was a major impact player for the Cardinals in 2024. He was second on the team in both receptions and receiving yards behind tight end Tanner Koziol with 49 catches for 528 yards. His four total touchdowns were third on the team behind Koziol and running back Braedon Sloan.

Pickett's standout play as a hybrid receiver earned him third-team All-MAC honors on Thursday. The postseason awards were released just hours before his transfer decision was confirmed.

Before committing to Ball State, Pickett also received offers from Eastern Illinois, Howard and Illinois State, per 247 Sports. The all-purpose athlete graduated from Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory High School in Chicago, Illinois.

Ball State enters state of uncertainty after dismal 2024 season

Related NewsArticle continues below
USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.
USC learns Big Ten rival is hosting decommitted 5-star first
Colorado Buffalos head coach Deion Sanders in the second half during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field.
Deion Sanders gets commitment from 2026 pass catcher over Notre Dame, LSU
Ohio State Buckeye head coach Ryan Day watches his team warm up before the start of the spring game at Ohio Stadium on April 12, 2025.
5-star DB shuts the door on potential suitors after Ohio State commitment
Ball State Cardinals head coach Mike Neu paces the sidelines against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at FirstBank Stadium.
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

While forced to replace the production of Pickett, the Ball State football program remains focused on the larger task of transitioning to its next head coach. The Cardinals fired Neu after nine up-and-down years, leaving former offensive line coach Colin Johnson to take over.

Five days after their final game of the 2024 regular season, Ball State announced they had hired Mike Uremovich as its next head coach. Uremovich, 48, has spent the previous three years as the head coach of Butler in the FCS and revived the previously defunct Bulldogs with a combined 23-11 since 2022.

During the transitional period from Neu/Johnson to Uremovich, Pickett is likely not the only Cardinal who will enter the transfer portal. Just hours after his entry, Koziol reportedly did the same, forcing Uremovich to now have to replace the team's top two receivers in his first year.