Who is Fernando Mendoza? If you don’t know the Indiana quarterback right now, you’re about to. The Indiana Hoosiers have pulled off the greatest turnaround in college football history under head coach Curt Cignetti, and Mendoza is the face of the program. Mendoza is about to win the Heisman Trophy, and he’s potentially going to go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Watch Fernando Mendoza’s emotional interview after Indiana beat Ohio State in Big Ten Championship
Meet Fernando Mendoza, Big Ten champ and future NFL top pick.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
No. 2 Indiana beat No. 1 Ohio State, 13-10, in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday to win the conference and clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. Mendoza finished 15-of-23 for 222 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He made the biggest throw of the night late in the fourth quarter by hitting Charlie Becker for a 33-yard strike on third down to ice the win.
After the game, Mendoza gave a memorable interview to FOX Sports. Watch it here:
Mendoza has been making plays all year for Indiana, and he’s about to be a household name. If you didn’t know what Mendoza was like when he takes off his helmet, now you do.
Indiana really beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. In football. What a world.
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