Indiana football brought in California Golden Bears transfer Fernando Mendoza this off-season to replace All Big Ten quarterback Kurtis Rourke who was recently selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
Mendoza was the third-leading passer in the ACC this season with 3,004 passing yards on 68.7% passing, 18 total touchdowns and 6 interceptions over 11 games, for Justin Wilcox and Cal.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound redshirt junior was the No. 3 quarterback in ESPN's and 247Sports transfer rankings and has two more seasons of eligibility.
Brad Crawford from 247Sports ranked the 18 starting quarterbacks heading into the 2025 season from the Big Ten Conference.
Mendoza came in the conference ranked at No. 5 overall in the Big Ten overall.
"Fernando Mendoza committed to Indiana in December soon after entering the portal as the replacement pick from Curt Cignetti for outgoing passer Kurtis Rourke. And given how much of an emphasis this Hoosiers' offense puts on quarterback play, Mendoza should flourish in 2025 as Indiana tries to get back to the College Football Playoff. In 20 games and 19 starts with the Golden Bears, Mendoza completed 66% of his passes for 4,712 yards with 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. His 5:1 touchdown to interception ratio last season was among the nation's best."Brad Crawford
Brad Crawford's top five QBs are:
1. Drew Allar (Penn State)
2. Luke Altmyer (Illinois)
3. Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
4. Dante Moore (Oregon)
5. Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti led a sensational turnaround from 3-9 to 11-2 in his first season and also earned Home Depot Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year honors last season.
Mendoza and Cignetti will look to lead them back to the CFB Playoffs and further in 2025.