For just the fifth time since 1967, one school earned the Walter Camp Player and Coach of Year awards.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and quarterback Fernando Mendoza were honored by the Walter Camp Football Foundation with its National Coach and Player of the Year awards, respectively.
Both awards are bestowed by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and via a vote by the nation’s 136 FBS head coaches and sports communicators.
Cignetti helped the Hoosiers to their first unblemished regular season in program history, a program-record 13 wins through their first Big Ten Championship Game victory, and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff. On Wednesday, he became the first coach to win consecutive Walter Camp National Coach of the Year honors in the awards 59-year history.
He also won the award after an 11-2 season a year ago and the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. His 2024 award was the second-ever by an IU coach after John Pont won the award in 1967 after leading the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl Game.
He is the fifth coach to win the award multiple times, joining Joe Paterno (Penn State; 2005, 1994, 1972), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma; 2003 and 2000), Nick Saban (Alabama; 2018 and 2008) and Gary Patterson (TCU, 2014 and 2009).
The 59th recipient of the player of the year award, Mendoza is the second Hoosier to win the prestigious honor, joining running back Anthony Thompson in 1989. He is the 24th quarterback to win the award. The other finalists included Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Vanderbilt quarterbacks Diego Pavia, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.
Mendoza currently leads the nation in passing touchdowns (33) and is the Power 4 leader in touchdowns responsible for (39). He is the third Big Ten quarterback since 2000 with three-straight games of at least four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions – C.J. Stroud (Ohio State; 2021) and Kyle Orton (Purdue; 2004, four straight). The Miami, Florida, native is the only FBS quarterback since at least 1996 with multiple games of at least 90 percent completion and four touchdown passes versus Power 4 opponents.
In 2025, Mendoza is the lone FBS quarterback with five games of 4-plus touchdown passes and zero interceptions and entered Championship Week as the FBS leader in percentage of passes that result in a touchdown at 10.9%, over one percentage point higher than the next closest passer (Sayin, Ohio State; 9.2%).
Mendoza has thrown a touchdown pass in 12-straight games entering the College Football Playoff and has five games with both a passing and rushing touchdown in 2025. He has thrown 33 touchdowns to just six interceptions, is tied for No. 2 on the team with six rushing touchdowns and has 240 yards rushing on the season.
The Hoosiers earned the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff and will play the winner of Alabama/Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1, 2026. The game from Rose Bowl Stadium will kick at 4 p.m. ET.
One School Earns Walter Camp Player and Coach of Year in Same Season
2025 – Indiana (Fernando Mendoza, POY; Curt Cignetti, COY
2018 – Alabama (Tua Tagovailoa, POY; Nick Saban, COY)
2012 – Notre Dame (Manti Te’o, POY; Brian Kelly, COY)
2000 – Oklahoma (Josh Heupel, POY; Bob Stoops, COY)
1986 – Miami (Vinny Testaverde, POY; Jimmy Johnson, COY)
