Ball State has its quarterback, and he's getting thrown into the fire immediately. Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Cardinals have named Keldric Luster their starter, and his first snap under center will come on the road against the No. 1 team in the country.
Luster's path here wasn't a straight line. He's bounced through 2 different Group of 5-to-Power-4 stops before landing in Muncie, spending time at both SMU and Texas State before transferring to Ball State. That kind of journey usually means a guy who's still hunting for consistent playing time, and after 3 years with limited opportunities split between those 2 programs, this is reportedly shaping up to be his most productive shot yet.
The competition for the job apparently went down to the wire. Luster was pushing against Tyler Mizzell, a transfer from Concord, throughout fall camp, with the starting gig reportedly uncertain as late as August. Naming him now, with the opener bearing down, means the staff is committing to Luster as the guy who has to command an offense in one of the loudest environments in the sport.
And that environment is about to be Ohio Stadium. Ball State opens its season on the road against the defending national title contender and preseason No. 1 Ohio State, a program loaded with future NFL talent on both sides of the ball. It's the kind of trip-wire opener mid-major teams sign up for the paycheck and the exposure, not realistically expecting to walk out with a win.
For Luster personally, there's no better stage to introduce himself to a national audience, even if the circumstances are brutal. A quarterback who's spent his career searching for a real opportunity now gets his first career start against the best defense he'll likely see all year. However that game goes on the scoreboard, Luster is about to find out fast what he's got.