BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza understands he can’t avoid the Heisman Trophy spotlight. He can, however, control how he responds — and he’s seeking advice from others who’ve lived it.
Mendoza met with FOX Big Noon Kickoff pregame show analyst Matt Leinart earlier in the week leading up to the No. 2 Hoosiers’ noon kickoff Saturday against UCLA at Memorial Stadium. Mendoza earned the nod as Leinart’s “power player” for his performance against Michigan State on Oct. 18, granting the two an opportunity to connect for the first time.
Following the interview, Mendoza texted Leinart, who played at USC from 2001-05 and won both the Heisman Trophy and BCS National Championship in 2004.
“With the Heisman, how do you handle all of that? How do you balance all of that?” Mendoza asked Leinart, who told reporters about the exchange Friday behind the set of Big Noon Kickoff on Memorial Stadium’s South side.
“I said, ‘Dude, just focus one game at a time, one play at a time. Don’t worry about all that stuff,’” Leinart responded.
The Heisman Trophy discourse may ultimately be difficult for Mendoza to block out. Leinart acknowledged Mendoza is the odds-on favorite, and fellow Big Noon Kickoff analyst Brady Quinn, who started under center at Notre Dame from 2003-06 and twice finished in the top four of Heisman voting, said Mendoza is “right up there” among the favorites.
Quinn put Ohio State signal caller Julian Sayin in the race with Mendoza, noting the Heisman has largely become a “quarterback-driven award.” Leinart said Sayin is “up there,” but he hasn’t been talked about much as a competitor to Mendoza.
And while there are still five games left in the regular season and a potential Big Ten Championship game meeting between Mendoza and Sayin, Quinn feels Mendoza is well-positioned thanks to the Hoosiers’ 30-20 win over Oregon on Oct. 11 in Eugene.
“The award’s going to go to someone who has that great season and then has some of those Heisman moments,” Quinn said Friday. “And I think for Fernando, you go back to Oregon, how he played in that game, that’s a huge moment for him. If this thing trends the way I think it’s going to, the next biggest one’s probably going to be the Big Ten Championship.
“And that’s another opportunity there right before the Heisman where you’re going to get a lot of people who are watching that game intently to see how Sayin plays, how Fernando plays, and who ends up getting the edge on that.”
Mendoza has completed 73.4% of his passes for 1,755 yards, 21 touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He’s tied for the FBS lead in touchdown passes and is No. 3 in completion rate among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts, trailing Sayin and Marshall’s Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. Mendoza has also added a pair of rushing scores.
Leinart said Mendoza is an extension, or an embodiment, of Indiana’s status as a well-coached team. Leinart experienced similar coaching assistance from now-Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and current Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.
And when Leinart watches Mendoza, he can picture the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder being in the room with Sarkisian, Kiffin and himself.
“When you watch film and you see the decisiveness in which — Fernando, the way he plays the position and the decisions and all that,” Leinart said. “When your quarterback plays at that level, you just know he’s well-coached.”
Quinn echoed Leinart’s thoughts about Mendoza.
“He’s decisive with the football,” Quinn said. “The best-coached teams, the easiest way to be able to see how they execute at such a high level is when they’re working through the progressions, they’re making the reads, they’re decisive. There’s no hesitation.
“You don’t see him double-clutching the ball. You don’t see him with his feet looking a little bit hesitant or a little happy in the pockets. That’s all because of their preparation. Obviously the way they’re taught, how they’re trained. But it’s them feeling confident in the plan and then playing decisively in that manner.”
Quinn added Mendoza knows where he’s going with the ball and he’s delivering accurate passes, which helps Indiana’s receivers generate yards after the catch. Mendoza’s ball placement, Quinn said, is a “huge piece” to the Hoosiers’ success.
Saturday marks Indiana’s first game on national FOX this season, and it’s also the Hoosiers’ first appearance on Big Noon Kickoff in 2025. As such, it’s the first exposure to Mendoza for much of the Big Noon crew.
Mendoza, however, was already well-versed with Leinart. During their mid-week call, Leinart learned Mendoza took a class taught by Leinart’s brother-in-law at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.
Leinart’s wife is Cuban, as are Mendoza’s relatives, and Leinart is helping some Miami residents watch the Hoosiers in-person Saturday.
“I actually have people coming out here to come see him and his brother that are from Miami that we got tickets for,” Leinart said. “So pretty small world there. There’s a connection between me and Fernando. I had no idea.”
Connection aside, Leinart discovered plenty about Mendoza during their video call. He already knew about Mendoza’s track record of interning at investment corporations, but he hadn’t yet experienced the poise, maturity and wisdom Mendoza possesses.
Mendoza called him “Mr. Leinart,” which Leinart joked made him feel old but underlined the 22-year-old’s respectful nature.
“He’s going to be successful no matter what he does,” Leinart said. “I know he’s super smart. This kid’s the real deal. He just happens to be really good at football, too. That was what I took away. In the end, he’s got a great leader in him. He’s a great leader, a great kid.
“I’m just rooting for him. I think he’s going to have a great rest of the year, and we’ll see what happens, obviously, in the next chapter in his life.”
But Mendoza has business to handle on the current page. Leinart expects UCLA to pose a “nice little test,” as the Bruins, who started 0-4 but have won three consecutive games, are playing at a high level.
Between Big Noon Kickoff and the noon timeslot on FOX, Leinart said there will be a large audience watching the Hoosiers and Bruins. It’s another chance for Mendoza to make a Heisman statement and cement himself as the frontrunner with October drawing to a close.
Leinart, however, insists such motives can’t be on Mendoza’s mind — and he doesn’t think they will be.
“He’s got everything in front of him,” Leinart said. “Can’t worry about all that stuff. That stuff takes care of itself. But he’s a hell of a player. He’s a great kid. Gosh, just what a great head on his shoulders.”
If anything, Saturday is merely another step up the ladder, one that, barring unforeseen upsets, appears poised to lead Indiana face-to-face with No. 1 Ohio State on conference championship weekend in Indianapolis.
That’s the moment rubber meets road. The culmination of a season’s worth of work building a resume just to earn the right to leave no doubt at Lucas Oil Stadium. The closing statement in a three-and-a-half-month-long court case.
“That’s the stage that’s set for him to win the Heisman trophy,” Leinart said. “It just is. That’s what it will be. And maybe both of those guys, Julian as well. That’ll show all the voters.”
Heisman ballots aren’t distributed until Dec. 1, and votes aren’t due until Dec. 8, when the finalists are announced. The winner is declared Dec. 13 in New York City.
No Indiana player has ever won the Heisman Trophy winner. Then again, no Indiana team had ever been ranked No. 2 in the country before the 2025 Hoosiers broke the glass ceiling this week.
Mendoza still has work to do. The Hoosiers face UCLA on Saturday before back-to-back road games against Maryland and Penn State. Indiana hosts Wisconsin for senior day Nov. 15, then after a late-season second bye week, it caps the regular season against Purdue on Nov. 28.
A potential trip to the Big Ten Championship is merely that: potential. The results Mendoza delivers between Saturday and Dec. 8 will ultimately dictate whether he’s still in the running should the Hoosiers meet the Buckeyes in Indianapolis.
Step one, Quinn said, is continuing to dominate from both a team and individual perspective. Quinn acknowledged Mendoza doesn’t have historical brand power working in his favor, but he has film and productivity while leading one of the nation’s best teams.
So, about that next chapter? A plane ride to the Northeast and a piece of hardware certainly could be part of it.
“He’s got his work cut out for him,” Quinn said. “But if he plays the way he’s capable of and they end up winning out, winning the Big Ten, he’s going to be there in New York and (I) won’t be shocked if he’s hoisting the Heisman Trophy.”
