Hoosiers Land Former Cal QB Fernando Mendoza from Portal

Written by: TJ Inman

To say it is a busy time for Curt Cignetti and his staff would be an understatement. With a first round exit from the CFP last week, it gives the coaching staff more time to fill holes through the portal. Information on who IU is pursuing and which players are visiting has been incredibly hard to come by but we do know the staff has been working hard and the portal class has begun with a headlining addition: former Cal Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza has committed to Indiana.

Mendoza has two years of eligibility remaining and he is the older brother of IU freshman quarterback Alberto Mendoza. Fernando Mendoza entered the transfer portal on Wednesday after initial speculation that he would be returning to Berkeley for his junior season. He wasted little time in choosing his new school. 

Fernando Mendoza’s sophomore season with the Golden Bears was a strong one. He completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per attempt with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. IU fans are going to want to know how he compares to Kurtis Rourke and Mendoza is a bit more mobile than Rourke, as evidenced by four games with at least 20 rushing yards. Rourke very likely has the better deep ball but Mendoza is capable of connecting on long pass plays and generating explosive plays. He will have a better offensive line and a better overall receiver room than he had in Berkeley plus his skillset appears to line up very well with Mike Shanahan’s offensive system. 

Mendoza produced big numbers against some strong opponents: 233 yards and 69% completions with two scores in a win at Auburn, 285 yards and two touchdowns in a one-point loss to Miami, 272 yards on 73% completions against Pittsburgh, 282 yards with 71.4% completions against North Carolina State, 364 yards with 75% completions against Oregon State, 385 with 71.4% completions against Wake Forest and 299 yards with three touchdowns against Stanford. He was, by my account, the best realistic option on the market for the Indiana Hoosiers and he is the clear favorite to be IU’s starting quarterback in 2025. As of now, he’ll compete with Tyler Cherry and brother Alberto Mendoza. 

Hoosier Huddle will have continuing coverage of the transfer portal as IU continues to pursue additional commitments.