Even with the entire College Football Playoff ahead of them, the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers will have a keen eye as to who enters the transfer portal at the quarterback position in the coming weeks. Over the last two seasons, Curt Cignetti and his staff have made it a point to look for a starter at the game's most important position in the portal with Kurtis Rourke in 2024, and now Fernando Mendoza.
Although Alberto Mendoza looks to be a rising sophomore, what if he is not ready to take over at IU?
It is why Chris Hummer of 247Sports believes TCU quarterback Josh Hoover can be a fit in the portal.
Indiana is an early school to watch with Josh Hoover, per sources. https://t.co/UzVJ5ELnMV
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) December 19, 2025
Hoover has been a three-year starter for Sonny Dykes' Horned Frogs over in Fort Worth. He has completed 65.2-percent of his passes in his career for 9.629 yards, 71 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Although not much of a runner, Hoover could be a prime candidate to conceivably replace Mendoza in Bloomington next season. 36 games worth of experience is a huge plus for him.
What are the chances that a player of Hoover's caliber makes his way to Bloomington this offseason?
Indiana Hoosiers look be in on TCU QB Josh Hoover in the transfer portal
Look. For as much everybody and their brother may want for Cignetti and his staff to land the biggest name in the transfer portal quarterback market possible, keep in mind how success he was after targeting former starters at places like Ohio U and Cal... Rourke helped get this team to the playoff for the first time ever. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, beat Ohio State, and has IU as the No. 1 seed.
The interesting thing here is Hoover potentially being on the move. He has been a playmaker of note in the Big 12 the last few years. While we are three seasons removed from the Max Duggan show of 2022, one would have thought Hoover would have stuck it out at TCU the entire time. Then again, the college football is changing, as he is very much a part of that. Indiana would be wise to consider him.
In the end, it will come down to Cignetti's decision of where he wants to go at the quarterback position. While he did recruit Alberto Mendoza out of high school, he may be a little too green to thrust in there right away. Either way, Cignetti has earned the benefit of the doubt from everyone when it comes to who he wants under center. It may be Mendoza, it maybe Hoover, or someone else.
Right now, Indiana has to pay close attention to what happens on Friday over in Norman, Oklahoma.