They may need to remake the movie Hoosiers – this time with a football theme.
Indiana, the state where there’s a basketball hoop in nearly every driveway, backyard, garage or barn, has birthed the inconceivable, improbable and incredible story of an unbeaten Hoosiers team (7-0) that is rated No. 2 in the nation, the highest ranking in the 138-year history of the football program.
One of the main characters of this saga is the quarterback, Miami native Fernando Mendoza, an impressive scholar and humanitarian who might just be the greatest Cuban-American QB … well, ever.
Mendoza, who earned his Bachelor’s degree (Business Administration) in just three years at Cal, is the founding member of “You Can Too,” a global organization dedicated to helping youth in need.
But if all of that reads like a movie script, it’s in football where Mendoza truly appears to be straight out of central casting — a 6-foot-5, 225-pound QB who is a triple threat, beating opponents with his intelligence, his arm and his legs.
In fact, Mendoza is the odds-on favorite to become the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, according to DraftKings.
Oct 18, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) throws a pass during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Memorial Stadium. © Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
That would be an almost incomprehensible outcome, given that Mendoza — after graduating from Miami’s Columbus High School — had just one scholarship offer from a major-conference school, and that came from Cal just one day before National Signing Day.
Dave Dunn, who coached him at Columbus, sensed Mendoza would be special soon after he transferred from Miami Belen Jesuit as a sophomore.
“He showed up at every meeting with a notebook and a pen,” Dunn said. “Fernando and I come from different backgrounds. I’m an Irish-American guy from the northeast, and he’s a Cuban-American kid from Miami.
“But we are both football junkies. Fernando, his younger brother [Indiana backup QB] Alberto and I would eat lunch together every day. Both of those kids are wired the same way — great competitors, high football IQs and a passion for the game.”
When it comes to Fernando, nothing has been handed to him.
As a Columbus sophomore, Mendoza started out as a fourth-stringer and had to wait his turn behind Brandon McDuffie, a senior captain in 2019. That season, McDuffie led the Explorers to the first state title in program history.
Still, Mendoza made three starts that year, and he won them all.
In fact, Mendoza went 21-4 as Columbus’ starting QB in a distinguished prep career. But in part because he was a backup as a sophomore and his junior season was the COVID year of 2020 when college coaches could not go on the road to see players, Mendoza was under-recruited.
Not even Miami made an offer, even though Dunn is a close friend of Hurricanes offensive line coach, Alex Mirabal, formerly of Columbus. In addition, Mendoza’s father, Dr. Fernando Mendoza, was a teammate of Miami coach Mario Cristobal at Columbus. Both of them were starting offensive guards on that same Columbus team in the late-1980s.
However, Fernando Mendoza caught a break late in the 2021-2022 recruiting cycle. That’s when former NFL quarterback Bill Musgrave, who was Cal’s offensive coordinator at the time, entered the picture.
“Cal had lost a quarterback recruit to another school,” Dunn said. “This was about one or two weeks before signing day. Musgrave made a call to (quarterback guru) David Lee, who had been working with Fernando.
“Musgrave asked [Lee] if he had any QB available. And [Lee] said, ‘Yeah, Fernando Mendoza. He’s killing it.’”
The next week, Mendoza — yearning to play at the highest level possible — took a trip to Cal and got the offer. He decommitted from Yale and signed with the Golden Bears.
At Cal — just as it was at Columbus — nothing was handed to Mendoza, who did not play at all in 2022, sitting out as a raw freshman.
In 2023, however, Mendoza battled QBs such as North Carolina State transfer Ben Finley and Texas Christian transfer Sam Jackson.
By the sixth game of that season, against 15th-ranked Oregon State, Cal coach Justin Wilcox finally made the move to give Mendoza his first collegiate start, and it paid off.
Although Cal lost 52-40, Mendoza completed 21 of 32 passes for 207 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also took no sacks and ran four times for 41 yards.
Mendoza’s first win came later in 2023 against rival QB Cam Ward and Washington State, 42-39.
Perhaps the turning point in Mendoza’s career came the following year in a 39-38 loss to visiting Miami. With scores of Miami fans watching on late-night TV, Mendoza helped Cal take a 35-10 advantage midway through the third quarter before Ward rallied to lead the undefeated and eighth-ranked Hurricanes to victory.
Ward, who went on to become the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, passed for 437 yards, including the game-winning TD with 28 seconds left. Mendoza, meanwhile, passed for 285 yards and two TDs.
Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Tyler Baron (9) runs toward California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) as he looks to throw the ball in the second half of their NCAA college football game at the California Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Berkeley, Calif. MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com
“That Miami game was special,” Dr. Mendoza said. “[Fernando] was able to compete at a high level against him hometown team. It boosted his confidence.”
Mendoza finished his Cal career with a 2-0 record in the “Big Game”, the Golden Bears’ annual rivalry against Stanford. Cal also went to two straight bowl games under Mendoza. Prior to Mendoza arriving as the starting QB, Cal had failed to qualify for a bowl in three straight years.
Also, Mendoza is still Cal’s career leader in completion percentage (66.4). He had 10 games at Cal during which he passed for at least 250 yards, and the same can be said for Aaron Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer.
After last season, Mendoza entered the transfer portal, and he ultimately chose Indiana, where his brother, Alberto (listed at 6-2 and 207 pounds), had spent 2024 as a true freshman, throwing just one pass.
Dr. Mendoza said Alberto’s presence on Indiana’s roster “played a role” in Fernando’s decision to choose Indiana.
“Miami was a possibility,” Dr. Mendoza said. “Miami is a great team. There were a few schools in play. But he felt Indiana was the right fit.”
It’s hard to argue with Mendoza’s decision.
Mendoza is tied for the national lead with 21 touchdown passes; he ranks first in passing efficiency (191.01); third in completion percentage (73.5); and fourth in passing yards per attempt (9.70). And, he has been intercepted just twice.
“His game has taken off,” draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wrote on ESPN.com. “The key is that he has only taken six sacks after taking 41 last year. He is getting the ball out quicker.
“He doesn’t have a huge arm, but he can make all the necessary NFL-level throws, and his ball placement is fantastic.”
Indeed, against Kennesaw State, Mendoza went 19 for 20, setting an Indiana single-game completion record (95.0%).
Mendoza has led Indiana to a pair of victories over teams that were ranked in the top-10 at the time, beating No. 9 Illinois, 63-10; and defeating No. 3 Oregon, 30-20.
Mendoza also threw a TD pass with 1:28 left to lead Indiana past Iowa, 20-15. On that key play, Mendoza beat a blitz and completed a slant to Elijah Sarratt.
“He’s a tough SOB,” Hoosiers offensive lineman Pat Coogan told the media when asked about Mendoza. “The kid is uber-talented. We have to let him shine.”
Last week, Indiana beat Michigan State, 38-13, as Mendoza completed 24 of 28 passes for 332 yards and four TDs.
“This is the sharpest we’ve seen him,” Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti told the media when asked about Mendoza. “He continues to improve. He continues to prepare like nobody I’ve ever seen.”
Mendoza, who was unavailable to be interviewed by the Herald because he is preparing for Saturday’s game against UCLA, is an expert at sharing the credit when doing interviews.
In an interview posted on Indiana’s official website, Mendoza mentioned just about everyone short of the water boy when he was merely asked about his wide receivers.
“We have such a special receiver core — Surratt, [Omar] Cooper, [E.J.] Williams, and everybody else, running backs, tight ends and other quarterbacks,” Mendoza said. “[That goes] with the game-planning of coach Cignetti, [co-offensive coordinators] Mike Shanahan and Chandler Witmer. It’s a perfect marriage, and we’re seeing the results on the field right now.”
After UCLA, Indiana is set to play Maryland, Penn State, Wisconsin and Purdue.
If the Hoosiers can continue to win, it figures to enhance Mendoza’s growing profile. DraftKings already lists Mendoza as the Heisman Trophy favorite.
Perhaps, after not playing for the Hurricanes, Mendoza ends up with the Dolphins, who figure to pick high in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Dunn, his high school coach, said Mendoza grew up a Patriots fan, but that figures to change quickly once he reaches the NFL.
“He’s the type of kid who wants to find a home, digest the playbook and get rolling,” Dunn said. “For him, it’s about fit.
“Would I love to see him here in Miami? One hundred percent — I’d be at every game.”
