Replacing Fernando Mendoza is a nearly impossible task.
Mendoza led the Indiana football program to its greatest season in program history last year. He threw for 3,535 yards and accounted for 48 total touchdowns en route to winning the prestigious Heisman Trophy. Thanks in large part to Mendoza's sensational play, the Hoosiers went a perfect 16-0 an delivered a historic National Championship in the College Football Playoff. Following in those footsteps is a tough ask for just about any college football quarterback out there.
Hoosier football fans would love if this CBS bowl projection came true for Indiana
But if there's one guy perfectly suited to take over the Indiana offense after Mendoza - it's Josh Hoover.
Josh Hoover is the ideal candidate to follow in Fernando Mendoza's footsteps
Curt Cignetti wasted little time going into the portal to find his QB1 for next season, as he quickly landed Hoover from TCU.
The 6'2" 200-pound gunslinger comes to Bloomington with 9,629 yards and 79 total touchdowns in his collegiate career, giving him the most production out of any returning QB in the country heading into 2026.
Hoover is already garnering plenty of attention and hype this offseason, as he is currently listed among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.
Joel Klatt likens Josh Hoover to Fernando Mendoza in a comparison Hoosier fans are loving
The Hoover hype train is very real, and college football fans across the country are taking notice. Joel Klatt is among the biggest names in college football media, and he has Hoosier football fans fired up with his praise for Hoover.
Speaking on his show, The Joel Klatt Show, on Tuesday, Klatt likened Hoover to Mendoza in a comparison that makes a ton of sense.
"All eyes are going to be on Josh Hoover because he's replacing the No. 1 pick in the draft, the Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. But here's the thing. He's the perfect candidate to replace Mendoza. He's almost a clone of Mendoza. Last year Fernando Mendoza threw more RPOs than anybody in college football. The next player on that list was Josh Hoover. He's built for this offense."Joel Klatt
"He's the perfect candidate to replace Mendoza – almost a clone of Mendoza." 👀@joelklatt with more on what's ahead for this @IndianaFootball team with a new QB out of the portal. pic.twitter.com/b5BaBJ8YoL
— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) May 5, 2026
As Klatt explains, Hoover's style of play is exactly what Indiana needs. Hoover's cadence, experience, and RPO-heavy skill set could make for the perfect replacement for Mendoza.
Cignetti has also compared Hoover to Mendoza, but in a different manner. Following the spring game, Cignetti noted that Hoover is right where Mendoza was at this point last season. He emphasized that there is still a long way to go, but those comments give IU football fans a lot to be excited about for the upcoming season.
If Hoover takes the strides that Cignetti is expecting him to take, it could make for a seamless transition that yields elite results from the beginning.
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