Going into his first season at Indiana, Fernando Mendoza set a lofty goal for himself.
The quarterback saw a list online of the top 10 early-season Heisman Trophy contenders, and he wasn’t on it. An ESPN story from August listed 21 players with better odds of winning the award.
Mendoza didn’t tell anyone, but he decided to take his shot at the Heisman.
“I was like, ‘Wow. I want to make a goal to myself.’ It’d be so special, and I prayed about, ‘Imagine if I could just make the ceremony. How cool would that be? I’d be able to take that for the rest of my life,'” Mendoza said in a press conference Tuesday. “I thought about it, but it was a little bit more of a dream, and kind of a long-range goal, or a goal that you reach a little farther than you think you could reach.”
The Miami native has achieved that goal. Mendoza is in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday night as a finalist, along with Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin. The ceremony airs at 7 p.m. ET on ABC. Indiana’s quarterback is the betting favorite to win the prestigious award, with sportsbooks putting him no higher than -1000 and as low as -4000.
Mendoza entered the Heisman picture after Indiana’s thunderous 63-10 win over Illinois on Sept. 20 — week 4. That was IU’s Big Ten opener, and a statement victory. He spent the next few weeks jockeying among the favorites for the award as he finished off signature wins — with “Heisman moments” — against Iowa and Oregon.
But the Illinois game, Mendoza said, was when he first started hearing chatter from his friends and family about his Heisman candidacy. The Cal transfer has spent more than 2 ½ months in that spotlight. And it’s been tough to compartmentalize that attention with his task of leading the Hoosiers every week.
“It’s been a huge challenge. It’s a huge privilege to be a part of the pressure,” Mendoza said. “I have a mental performance coach, (a) sports psychologist, and really leaning on him has been a huge part of this process. ‘Now that you’re here, stick on what got you here’ — the process, the never-ending preparation, and all the different aspects of really taking it one play at a time, not focusing on the outside noise.”
Mendoza would be Indiana’s first-ever Heisman Trophy winner.
Running back Anthony Thompson finished second in 1989, and he’s the program’s only other finalist. So already, Mendoza is in rarified air in IU football history.
Thompson also finished ninth in the Heisman voting in 1988. The Hoosiers have had six other top-10 finishers: Bill Hillenbrand (fifth, 1942), Pete Pihos (eighth, 1945), Vaughn Dunbar (sixth, 1991), Antwaan Randle El (sixth, 2001), Tevin Coleman (seventh, 2014), and Kurtis Rourke (ninth, 2024).
Mendoza’s numbers have been strong all year, while leading the way for IU to a 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. He’s thrived working with head coach Curt Cignetti, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, and quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer.
Thanks to coaching and routine, IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza is elevating his game
The redshirt junior has completed 226 of 316 pass attempts, the sixth-best completion percentage in the country (71.5). Mendoza has thrown for 2,980 yards, tied with Pavia and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr for second in the nation in yards per attempt (9.4). His 33 touchdown passes was the top mark in FBS, and set an IU single-season record; and he threw only six interceptions, along with six rushing touchdowns.
The Miami native has done all that despite sitting the entire fourth quarter in three games (two conference games), and checking out during the final period in several others. Some of that goes beyond Mendoza — when IU pulled its starters early, it’s because the entire team played well enough to build a big lead.
But part of it is his strong work ethic Cignetti has lauded all year. That, as much as anything, is why Mendoza is on the brink of history.
“You gotta love the process, that’s for sure, to be the best you can be. And the process involves film study, practice, weights, nutrition, sleep, and all that good stuff,” Cignetti said in a press conference over Zoom Wednesday. “You gotta be committed to your goal and have the discipline, work ethic, and perseverance to see it through. And that’s something Fernando certainly has.”
The Heisman Trophy is given to the best player in college football every year.
There are several other awards recognizing the top player, or a differently-worded version of that distinction. Mendoza has already taken home AP College Football Player of the Year, the Walter Camp Award, and the Maxwell Award, along with Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
Mendoza’s teammates have watched him all year long, and — predictably — are steadfast in believing he should add the Heisman to that haul.
“I think you just start with his film. The throws that he makes, they wow you every time. The job that he’s been able to do this year has been nothing short of remarkable,” linebacker Aiden Fisher said in a press conference Monday. “When you look at his résumé for this award, there’s going to be a lot of games that come down to fourth quarter, clutch drives to win football games, and he’s done it every time. So for me, that’s my Heisman. I think that should be America’s Heisman. He’s the best football player in the country, and I don’t think it’s close.”
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