 Mendoza in 2026 | |
| No. 15 – Indiana Hoosiers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2003-10-01)October 1, 2003 (age 22) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Christopher Columbus(Miami, Florida) |
| College |
|
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats atESPN | |
Fernando Gabriel Mendoza V[1] (born October 1, 2003) is an Americancollege footballquarterback for theIndiana Hoosiers. Mendoza previously played for theCalifornia Golden Bears before transferring toIndiana in 2025, where he won theHeisman Trophy among other awards en route to anational championship, the school's first.
Mendoza was born October 1, 2003, inBoston, Massachusetts, and grew up inMiami, Florida.[2][3][4] His family originally came fromSpain, from the municipality ofCampanario, Badajoz.[5] From there they moved toCuba and later to the United States. He attendedChristopher Columbus High School. As aquarterback on thefootball team, he completed 133 of his 203pass attempts for 1,396 yards and 16touchdowns with fourinterceptions, while also adding 137 yards and a touchdown on the ground across two seasons.[6] As a starter, Mendoza led his team to an 11–3 record and advanced to the 2021 state semifinals versusVenice High School in theFHSAA 8A football playoffs.[6][7] He originally committed to playcollege football atYale University inNew Haven, Connecticut before deciding to flip to theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[8] He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Berkeley'sHaas School of Business in 2025.[9]
Mendozaredshirted during the2022 season.[10] He earned his first career start in week six of the2023 season againstOregon State.[11] He completed 21 of 32 pass attempts for 207 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in a loss to the Beavers.[12] A week later, he was 10 of 17 passing for 149 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a loss toUtah.[13] Mendoza was named the team's starting quarterback heading forward.[14][15] In eight starts as aredshirt freshman, he completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,708 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading the Golden Bears to a 6–7 record and anIndependence Bowl appearance.[16]
Entering the2024 season, Mendoza won the starting quarterback job for Cal, beating graduate transferChandler Rogers.[17] In week two againstAuburn, Mendoza completed 25 of 36 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Bears to an upset win over the Tigers.[18] Mendoza was named ACC quarterback of the week in back-to-back games againstOregon State andWake Forest, setting career highs in passing yards and completions. His 56 passing attempts against Wake Forest were the most by a Cal quarterback since 2016. On December 11, 2024, Mendoza announced he would be entering theNCAA transfer portal.[19]
On December 23, 2024, Mendoza announced his decision to transfer to play for theIndiana Hoosiers.[20] In the 2025 season opener against theOld Dominion Monarchs, Mendoza completed 18 of 31 passes for 193 yards and scored a touchdown on a five-yard rush as Indiana won 27–14.[21] He completed 18 of 25 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns against theKennesaw State Owls, leading the Hoosiers to a 56–9 win.[22] Against theIndiana State Sycamores, Mendoza completed 19 of 20 passes for 270 yards and five touchdowns, and ran for an additional touchdown in a 73–0 win; he did not return to the game after halftime.[23]
Mendoza threw for a career-high five passing touchdowns against the No. 9Illinois Fighting Illini on 21 of 23 passing with 267 yards.[24] In a 20–15 win against theIowa Hawkeyes, Mendoza completed 13 of 23 passes for 233 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.[25] He completed 20 of 31 passes for 215 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 30–20 upset win on the road against the No. 3Oregon Ducks.[26] Mendoza threw for a season-high 332 yards on 24 of 28 passing while defeating theMichigan State Spartans 38–13.[27] He led the Hoosiers to a 56–6 win against theUCLA Bruins, completing 15 of 22 passes for 168 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, adding a rushing touchdown; he left the game in the third quarter.[28] Mendoza completed 14 of 21 passes for 201 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, with one rushing touchdown, as the Hoosiers defeated theMaryland Terrapins, 55–10.[29]
In a 27–24 road win against thePenn State Nittany Lions, Mendoza completed 19 of 30 passes for 218 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, adding a rushing touchdown; the passing touchdown, to receiverOmar Cooper Jr., came in the final moments of the game to take the lead and was widely described as a "Heisman moment".[30][31] Against theWisconsin Badgers, he threw his 30th touchdown pass of the season, eclipsing the Indiana single-season program record set byKurtis Rourke the previous season; Mendoza finished the game 22 of 24 passing for 299 yards and four touchdowns in a 31–7 win.[32] In the final game of the regular season, theOld Oaken Bucket rivalry game against thePurdue Boilermakers, Mendoza completed 8 of 15 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, with one rushing touchdown, before leaving the game in the third quarter; Indiana won 56–3 to seal the program's first perfect regular season in the coldest game ever played atRoss-Ade Stadium.[33]
In the2025 Big Ten Championship Game against the No. 1Ohio State Buckeyes, Mendoza threw for 222 yards and a touchdown, leading Indiana to a 13–10 victory and their first Big Ten title since 1967.[34] He was named the game'sMVP for his performance.[35] Mendoza led Indiana to its firstbowl game win since 1991, defeating the No. 9Alabama Crimson Tide 38–3 in the2026 Rose Bowl;[36] he completed 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns.[37] Mendoza completed 17 of 20 passes for 177 yards and five touchdowns while defeating Oregon 56–22 in the2026 Peach Bowl.[38]
In the2026 College Football Playoff National Championship against theMiami Hurricanes, he completed 16 passes for 186 yards while also rushing for a 12-yard touchdown, leading the Hoosiers to a 27–21 victory and the school's first-ever national title.[39] For his performance, Mendoza received the Offensive Player of the Game award.[40]
For the 2025 season, Mendoza was named theAP College Football Player of the Year,[41] the winner of theChicago Tribune Silver Football,[42] and theWalter Camp Player of the Year.[43] He was also the winner of both theMaxwell Award and theDavey O'Brien Award. He was also namedBig Ten Offensive Player of the Year,Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, andfirst-team All-Big Ten.[44] He was announced to be one of the fourHeisman Trophy finalists, along withJulian Sayin,Diego Pavia, andJeremiyah Love, ultimately being named the recipient of the award.[45] Mendoza became the first player in Indiana school history to win the Heisman Trophy.[46] After the season, he announced he would forego his final year ofNCAA eligibility and declare for the2026 NFL draft.[47]
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2022 | California | Redshirt | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | California | 9 | 8 | 3−5 | 153 | 243 | 63.0 | 1,708 | 7.0 | 14 | 10 | 132.8 | 48 | 92 | 1.9 | 2 |
| 2024 | California | 11 | 11 | 6−5 | 265 | 386 | 68.7 | 3,004 | 7.8 | 16 | 6 | 144.6 | 87 | 105 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 2025 | Indiana | 16 | 16 | 16−0 | 273 | 379 | 72.0 | 3,535 | 9.3 | 41 | 6 | 182.9 | 90 | 276 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Career | 36 | 35 | 25−10 | 691 | 1,008 | 68.6 | 8,247 | 8.2 | 71 | 22 | 156.2 | 225 | 473 | 2.1 | 11 | |
Mendoza has a younger brother,Alberto, who was the backup quarterback for theIndiana Hoosiers during Mendoza's tenure; he transferred to theGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets in January 2026.[48][49][50]
Mendoza is outspoken about hisCatholic faith and incorporates dailyMass in his game day routine as well as coordinating teamBible studies on campus at Indiana. He credits them for building camaraderie among him and his teammates.[51][52][53]
Mendoza is an advocate for theNational Multiple Sclerosis Society, and his mother, Elsa, lives withmultiple sclerosis. Mendoza, alongside his brother, has created multiple menu items at restaurants in the towns of the colleges in which they have played; the money raised has gone to multiple sclerosis research. The items include the "Mendoza Burrito" at La Burrita inBerkeley, California, as well as the "Mendoza Bros. Burger" at BuffaLouie's and the "Mendoza Bros. Cubano" at Gable's Bagels inBloomington, Indiana.[54][55]
Mendoza considers former NFL quarterbackTom Brady to be his "football idol".[56]
Mendoza is ofCuban descent, with all four of his grandparents having been born and raised inCuba. His grandparentsmoved from Cuba to Miami in 1959 after the events of theCuban Revolution.[57] Mendoza cites his Cuban heritage as being a major factor for his and his brother's passion as football players. In a 2025 interview withIndiana University Bloomington news websitePeegs.com, he said, "Alberto and I play football not for ourselves, not for fulfillment and satisfaction of ourselves—we have a lot of whys why we do it for. One of the whys is our mom. Another why is our entire family. Our entire family comes from a Cuban background. All of our grandparents were born and raised in Cuba, and that's something we always take deeply to heart."[58][59]
His success has made him a prominent figure in the Hispanic football community, and he frequently discusses the influence of hisCuban-American heritage. He credits a trip taken to Cuba with his brother during high school as a formative experience, which allowed him to better understand his grandparents' immigration to the United States and the sacrifices made to achieve the "American Dream."[60]
He says that hisSpanish language skills are conversational rather than fully fluent, yet he delivered portions of his 2025Heisman Trophy acceptance speech in Spanish to honor his family and provide representation for the growing Latino fan base within college football.[61] Mendoza has emphasized the role of the "prideful and supportive" nature of Hispanic family culture as a cornerstone of his professional stability.[59]