The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced their 2025 All-American teams on Tuesday.
The Indiana players named to the AFCA All-American teams are Fernando Mendoza (first team), Aiden Fisher (first team), Carter Smith (first team) and D’Angelo Ponds (second team).
Mendoza has now been name a First Team All-American by three of the five selectors designated by the NCAA for determining whether a player has earned consensus (3 of 5) or unanimous (5 of 5) All-American status.
Mendoza has been named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, Walter Camp and now AFCA. The remaining two selectors are the Football Writers Association of America and the Sporting News.
If he ends up being a unanimous First Team All-American, Mendoza will become just the fourth-ever IU football player to achieve that distinction.
Who were the three prior IU football unanimous All-Americans?
Tevin Coleman, 2014, — Running Back
Coleman finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting, at the time the best placing by a Hoosier since Antwaan Randle El’s sixth-place showing in 2001. One of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award, Coleman became the 18th player in FBS history to reach 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. He tops the school’s list with 2,036 yards. Coleman was just the third Big Ten rusher to reach the milestone in the regular season. The Tinley Park, Ill. native finished second nationally in rushing yards (2,036), rushing yards per game (169.7), all-purpose yards per game (181.4) and yards from scrimmage per game (181.4), third in yards from scrimmage (2,177), fifth in all-purpose yards (2,177) and rushing yards per carry (7.54), tied for 19th in rushing touchdowns (15) and tied for 25th in total touchdowns (15).
Vaughn Dunbar, 1991 — Running Back
One of the finest running backs ever to play in the Big Ten Conference, Vaughn Dunbar earned first team All-America recognition in 1991. The Fort Wayne, Ind., product finished his senior season with a then school-record 1,805 rushing yards. A sixth-place finisher in the 1991 Heisman Trophy balloting, Dunbar played only two seasons at Indiana after transferring from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, where he was a NJCAA All-America selection as a sophomore. Dunbar finished his career at Indiana with 3,029 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns.
Anthony Thompson, 1989 — Running Back
One of the best running backs in the history of college football, Anthony Thompson earned first team All-America recognition following both his junior and senior seasons. A two-time Big Ten rushing champion, Thompson captured the NCAA rushing and scoring title during his senior campaign and was named the Walter Camp Foundation’s Player of the Year, the AFCA “Coaches Choice” Player of the Year, won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s finest college football player and finished second in the 1989 Heisman Trophy voting. Thompson rushed for 5,299 yards and 67 touchdowns during his time in Bloomington.
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