Fernando Mendoza out, Josh Hoover in. It could very well be just plug-and-play for Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers at the quarterback position. While there is a non-zero chance that Mendoza ends up being one-of-one, Hoover comes to Bloomington with a ton of starting experience under his belt. He threw for a ton of yards over the last three years at TCU, enough to the point where CBS took notice...
In Cody Nagel's latest for CBS Sports, he outlined each Big Ten team's post-spring overreactions. His take on Indiana may not land well with everyone at IU, but he is of the belief that "Fernando Mendoza was a system QB, and Josh Hoover will be just as good." Again, that might be a massive overreaction. However, Hoover was carefully chosen to be Mendoza's successor at Indiana by Cignetti and his staff.
Hoover may be worth every penny of NIL money spent on him this offseason, but this stat Nagel's CBS Sports colleague Tom Fornelli came across may have some fans singing a different tune about Mendoza. While he did throw for a program-record 41 touchdown passes in 2025, do you remember what the previous record was? That would be the 29 touchdown passes Kurtis Rourke threw in 2024.
While Mendoza and Rourke were far more accurate than Hoover coming in, he can still really sling it.
Latest evidence suggests Indiana might not skip a beat with Josh Hoover
With Mike Shanahan back for another season as Cignetti's all-star offensive coordinator, coaching staff continuity shall remain paramount in Bloomington. Eventually, Shanahan will get his own team to lead. The same principle applies to their otherworldly defensive coordinator in Broyles Award winner Bryant Haines. Having both of them around for even another season after this would be stretching it.
In the event that this is truly plug-and-play at the quarterback position for Indiana, there are certainly going to be levels to this. If Rourke is the floor and Mendoza is the ceiling, it would not be the least bit surprising to see Hoover slot in somewhere between the two. Should Hoover throw for around 30 touchdowns, Indiana will be seeded high in next year's playoff with plans for a national championship.
Overall, whatever happens next season to Indiana will fall more on Cignetti's plate than anyone else's. Mendoza is gone, and Rourke is long gone. If Hoover only proves to be good, and not great, that may cost Indiana its remarkable shot at a national title repeat. Right now, they are one of only a handful of teams who can realistically win it all. Repeating is hard, so the Hoosiers may be very much up against.
Ultimately, we are starting to approach the crossroads of expectations and reality. If the former is greater than the latter, that is where disappointment is forged. Should the present reality outperform grandiose expectations, then pure elation will manifest. Unfortunately for Indiana, expectations have never been higher on the football field. Hoover has to replace a legend, but he did sign up for this...
For now, Indiana fans are eager to see how Hoover measures up to the legacy Mendoza just created.
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