College football: Indiana's Fernando Mendoza hoping to complete storybook journey with national title for Hoosiers

Fernando Mendoza arrived on Indiana's campus last January carrying huge expectations for himself and the program. Outsiders almost immediately dubbed the new, highly touted transfer as the quarterback who could lead Indiana's football program to unprecedented heights. Some even suggested Mendoza could be a Heisman Trophy candidate and possibly the top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. But the grounded grandson of Cuban immigrants ignored the chatter and focused instead on proving himself all over again. Mendoza wasted no time earning the respect of his new teammates thanks to a relentless work ethic. He quickly impressed coaches with his unflappable poise, uncanny natural instincts and unconventional study habits. The Miami native and former Cal star found his exuberant, humble personality fit perfectly in this Midwestern college town John Mellencamp depicted in his hit song "Small Town." And eventually Mendoza's penchant for making clutch plays put him on the big stage, winning college football's most prestigious individual award in a landslide. Now as the 22-year-old tries to etch one final chapter into this seemingly made-for-television Hollywood script — leading what had been major college football's losingest program to its first national championship in front of a throng of family and friends just about a 40-minute drive from his parents' home — Mendoza continues to insist he's just along for the ride. "I think it's the other way around," he said last Friday when asked about the impact he's had on Indiana's program. "If you told me (this would happen) a year ago — I believe a year ago today or the day before actually is the day I arrived on campus — Hoosier Nation, the coaching staff and the entire sports staff has given me so much opportunity here and (shown) so much belief in my character and my play, not only as a player, also as a leader that I'm forever in debt." Mendoza's skill set By now, Mendoza's tools on the field should be obvious to even casual football observers. His arm is strong enough to make any throw and his accuracy is almost unmatched. He's also capable of extending plays with his legs and when the top-ranked Hoosiers (15-0, No. 1 CFP) need a key play, Mendoza seems to deliver on cue. Miami coach Mario Cristobal has seen all of it on film. And while Mendoza graciously shares credit with those around him, coaches and teammates recognize they're heading to Miami this weekend largely because of Mendoza's ability to make a game-changing play on any snap. "The throws he makes, they just wow you every time," All-American linebacker Aiden Fisher said. "The job he's done this year has been nothing short of remarkable. He's the best football player in the country, and I don't think it's close. He's done such a phenomenal job being a leader for us, somebody we can depend on, we can count on every single time. He's fantastic at everything he does." That includes the part most fans never see. Teammates watched Mendoza spend countless hours studying film, dissecting defenses and preparing for every potential game-day contingency. In the rare moments Mendoza isn't working, he's probably watching other games searching for something he can add to his repertoire. That example helped Mendoza not only win over the locker room but also become a beloved figure inside of it. "He's just the ultimate professional, a wonderful teammate," starting center Pat Coogan said. "He prepares like no one I've ever seen. He works his butt off like no one I've ever seen and he's just an awesome locker room guy on top of that." But Mendoza's reach goes far beyond football. He often explains how the daily battle his mother, Elsa, wages against Multiple Sclerosis helped him learn to cherish every precious moment of this incredible journey. Mendoza also talks openly about how his faith has helped him excel as a person and a player and that he relies on prayer, meditation and Bible study sessions to navigate the highs and lows of life and football. And his ability to balance so many things has come at such a young age that he has turned even the most hardened football people into true believers. "He's a special guy. I mean, he's extremely intelligent, and people recognize that," blunt-talking Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said recently. "He's got a great relationship with the guys, and it's mainly the older guys, obviously. Those guys hang together. But I think what he's done behind the scenes to bring the offensive unit even closer together — and those are a lot of things I'm not aware of at the time, I find out later — he's just done a tremendous job in every single area you could impact team success." Mendoza's results Mendoza was hardly a household name coming out of powerhouse Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. His first scholarship offer came from Yale. His only Football Bowl Subdivision offer came from California. But it was there, in Berkeley, where Mendoza's career trajectory changed. After redshirting in 2022, he won the starting job in 2023 and threw for 1,728 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In 2023, his completion percentage improved from 63.0 percent to 68.7 percent as he finished with 3,004 yards, 16 TDs and six interceptions. The problem: He was sacked a staggering 41 times. So when the opportunity came to play behind a better offensive line, chase a national title and join his younger brother, Alberto, in Bloomington, Fernando Mendoza was sold. Naturally, Mendoza started cramming even before Indiana's winter semester started. "Having that playbook at home already, because Alberto was in my parent's house, I definitely started diving into it during Christmas break in the off time," Fernando Mendoza said, referring to 2024. "Ever since I've been trying to be consistent in the film room, in the playbook in order to gain a mastery (of the offense)." By then, though, he'd already been turning heads in Bloomington. While Cignetti liked the commitment, the passion and the drive for perfection he saw during Mendoza's recruiting visit, other people noticed different things. Receiver Elijah Sarratt remembers Mendoza "trolling" his future teammates with inside jokes that typically take players months or years to get and athletic director Scott Dolson found Mendoza to be uniquely genuine. "All the stuff you hear him say, it's all authentic and real," Dolson said. "He cares more about winning and his teammates than he does about himself, and I think that's a good lesson for other student-athletes to see or the next generation around the country — that it's not all about you." Still, it's hard to ignore the results. Mendoza leads the nation with 41 TD passes, a school record. He's the first Indiana player to win the Heisman and just the third quarterback to lead the Hoosiers to a Big Ten crown. He's now the favorite to be the first draft pick in April, and he finds himself squarely in the middle of perhaps the most astounding two-year turnarounds in sports history. Yet here Mendoza stands, one win away from delivering the first 16-0 season in major college football since the 1890s, and all he wants to do is share the spotlight with everyone around him. "It's been a great journey, I believe, for all of us," Mendoza said. "I still remember when I was in the transfer portal, Coach Cignetti said, 'Hey, if you're going to come here, you're going to develop into a hell of a quarterback, and it wasn't about, at that point, hey, 'I'm going to promise you a national championship.' It was you're going to develop and have that belief."