One of Muncie’s most loyal sons earns all-star accolades as he prepares for the professional circuit.
One of Ball State’s most versatile players will gets one last go on the gridiron in his college colors on Sunday afternoon, when quarterback Kiael Kelly takes the field for the 2026 Dream Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Kelly lined up at quarterback, running back, slot, and wide receiver during his time with the Cardinals. Over five seasons, Kelly ran for 1,498 yards, caught eleven passes for 39 yards, threw for 2,191 yards and notched 27 total touchdowns (13 passing, 13 rushing and one receiving.)
Kelly showed substantial improvement as a passer in his senior season, throwing for a career-high 1,583 yards and 11 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. Kelly also added 600 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
With the nod, Kelly becomes just the third Ball State quarterback to play in a college all-star game, joining program greats Keith Wenning and Drew Plitt.
Keith Wenning was the first Ball State quarterback to play in an all-star game. Wenning earned a spot in the East-West Shrine Bowl after graduating as Ball State’s all-time leading passer with 11,402 yards and 92 touchdowns. He is also Ball State’s all-time completions and attempts leader.
Wenning arguably took the Cardinals to heights they had never seen, throwing for 3,095 yards and 24 touchdowns to help Ball State win nine games and earn an appearance in the Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl against UCF. The following year, Ball State won ten games with Wenning’s electrifying senior season and earned an appearance in the GoDaddy.com Bowl against Sun Belt co-champion Arkansas State. His monster 2013 senior season saw him break single-season program records with 319 completions in 498 attempts for 4,148 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Wenning joined an East-West Shrine Game roster alongside a quarterback class that included future Super Bowl starter Jimmy Garoppolo and Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch. Wenning performed respectably, completing 12 of 19 passes for 82 yards and carrying the ball three times for 12 yards. The performance was enough for the Baltimore Ravens to draft him in the sixth round. Wenning bounced around the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and New York Giants from 2014 to 2017, never appearing in a game. However, Ball State fans will never forget his exploits.
While Wenning rewrote the Ball State record books, Drew Plitt, Ball State’s other all-star game invitee, snapped Ball State’s decades-long conference championship drought and led the program to its first-ever bowl win, ending his career third in program history in passing yards (9,051) and touchdowns (68), while finishing second in completions (777) and attempts (1,246.)
Plitt led Ball State to a 7-1 record in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and their first MAC title since 1996. After a 34-13 win in the Arizona Bowl over #22 San Jose State, in which Plitt threw for 217 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, Ball State earned the program’s first-ever national ranking, sitting #23 in the season-ending Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Plitt led Ball State to another bowl in his 2021 senior season, throwing for 2,786 yards and 18 touchdowns on the way to a Camellia Bowl bid. At season’s end, Plitt earned a nod to the Spiral Tropical Bowl. Plitt parlayed his performance in that game into a stint as the XFL Arlington Renegades’ opening day starter. Plitt started three games for the Renegades, throwing for 668 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions before being benched.
If the past is any indication, Kiael Kelly may have a future at the next level after appearing in the Dream Bowl. However, even if he does not get to play at the next level, he has already cemented himself as a Ball State legend by becoming the rare Ball State quarterback to appear in an all-star game.
Category: General Sports
