MUNCIE, Ind. — As Jordan Ward spoke earlier this month, he didn't think it ever crossed his mind that he wouldn’t use his extra year of eligibility.
Ward, who considered himself a late bloomer in high school when it came to the recruiting process, had once thought he might not have the opportunity to play football in college. Then came an opportunity at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level at the Virginia Military Institute. Then came a career at VMI where Ward saw his program rise in prominence in a way he and others would compare to Ball State's rise at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level in recent years.