Clearly, it was in the stars for Fernando Mendoza to join Curt Cignetti's rocking Indiana Hoosiers squad this past offseason. Yes, it helped that his younger brother Alberto Mendoza was already on the team. Truth be told, the fit just seemed perfect. Of course, Mendoza did mention this juicy nugget while appearing on The Ticket Sports Radio recently. If only Kirby Smart had picked up the phone...
Apparently, Mendoza was deciding between committing to Georgia or Indiana out of Cal last winter.
“Really, what it came down to was Indiana and Georgia. Kirby (Smart), great recruiter, great coach, great program. They were this close to making a national championship. I was really going back and forth between the two. And honestly, I was really confused. I was lost in the sauce because they were both great situations. It was a win-win. It was a really tough decision."
Mendoza then said that he tried to call Kirby Smart to commit to Georgia, but the call fell through...
“I think there was one time even where I was about to call Kirby to commit to Georgia and the call didn’t go through. And I thought, ‘Alright, let me sleep on it tonight.’ I really believed God helped me with that."
Mendoza would go on to win all 16 games he played in during his one season at Indiana. Not only did he become the first Heisman Trophy winner in Indiana football history, but he helped one of the worst programs in college football history win its first-ever national title. Georgia ended up with a strong quarterback of its own in homegrown Gunner Stockton, but Mendoza is about to go No. 1 overall...
Surely, Georgia fans are going to take this well and in stride, while Indiana fans have to be loving this.
Fernando Mendoza almost signed with Georgia over Indiana out of Cal
For Georgia, it could always be worse... Take Cal for instance. The Golden Bears had a future Heisman Trophy winner as their starting quarterback, and they did not even know it... Justin Wilcox may have gotten a stud recruit out of high school in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, but he got fired at the end of last season. Tosh Lupoi will now take over at his alma mater with another Cal star in the form of JKS...
Look. We should not criticize Georgia for not ending up with Mendoza. It was his decision to commit to Indiana. He made the call, and Curt Cignetti picked up the phone. However, Alberto Mendoza transfer to Georgia's in-state rival of Georgia Tech this offseason does add another interesting wrinkle in all of this. Let's not overlook the fact that he grew up minutes from the Miami Hurricanes...
Overall, Mendoza to the perfect situation for himself. He made the most of every opportunity he had at Indiana. What he and his teammates accomplished will never be forgetten in the lore of college football. While he may not have had the best stat lines of any Heisman winner to date, Mendoza rarely threw incompletions. Most importantly, he never lost a game while playing at IU. Who even does that?
If Stockton wins next year's Heisman, this will all be a moot point, but you do have to sit and wonder...