Fernando Mendoza Takes Home the Maxwell Award as Collegiate Player of the Year

Maxwell Football Club Release

Maxwell Football Club Executive Director Mark Wolpert announced that Indiana Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been named the recipient of the 89^th Maxwell Award, presented to the Collegiate Player of the Year.

Mendoza has led the Hoosiers to their first undefeated season in school history, winning the Big Ten title and clinching the number one seed in the 2025 College Football Playoff. He has thrown for 2,980 yards and leads the nation with 33 touchdowns, setting a new Indiana single-season record. His 181.39 passer rating, the second best in the country, reflects the efficiency and command that became the backbone of Indiana’s rise. As the leader of the nation’s third-best scoring offense, Mendoza has been the steady force behind the Hoosiers’ week-to-week dominance, guiding a unit that outscores opponents by nearly 32 points per game and moves the ball with remarkable efficiency at 7.09 yards per play.

Together, his leadership and consistency shaped one of the most memorable seasons in Indiana history and carried the Hoosiers to the doorstep of a national championship run. Mendoza became the standard setter for a team that embraced the pressure of heightened expectations and stepped into the season intent on proving its place among college football’s elite. He steadied Indiana through early tests, ignited signature wins that reshaped the national picture, and carried himself with the same calm belief that spread through the entire roster. His leadership and consistency elevated the Hoosiers to heights the program had never reached before and positioned Indiana not only as a playoff contender but as a legitimate national championship force.

Mendoza is the second Hoosier to win the award, joining Anthony Thompson, who earned the honor in 1989, and the first Big Ten player to win it since Penn State’s Larry Johnson in 2002.