A trio of Indiana football players landed on the latest round of preseason watch lists released Tuesday.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award list, while offensive lineman Drew Evans and wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. both landed on the College Football Comeback Player of the Year scroll.
With 20 career games played and 19 starts over three seasons at Cal, Mendoza was the No. 14 overall prospect in the Transfer Portal and No. 3 quarterback per 247Sports for the 2025 cycle. He finished his career at Cal as the all-time leader in completion percentage (66.4%) and tied for No. 7 in 250-yard passing games (10). His 2024 season produced just the ninth 3,000-yard passing season in Cal history (3,004 yards) and a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Presented annually to the top senior or upperclassman quarterback who is on track to graduate with their class, the Unitas Golden Arm Award is in its 39th year. Aimed at recognizing excellence both on and off the field, the
award is presented by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation.
Evans was part of an offensive line that was named semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award in 2024 after starting the first nine games of the season. He suffered a season-ending injury prior to Week 11 against Michigan (11/9) and missed the final three games of the season. One of six Hoosiers to make a first collegiate start in 2024, he was part of an offensive line that didn’t allow a sack in back-to-back Big Ten games (Week 9, Washington; Week 10, at Michigan State) for the first time since a five-game streak in 2001.
Battling injury in multiple seasons during his career, Williams Jr. appeared in four games last season before he redshirted the season. He caught a pass in his first appearance of the season at Northwestern (10/5), a 37-yard reception late in the second quarter to set up field goal with 3 seconds left in the first half and extend IU’s lead to 10 points.
The Comeback Player of the Year Award is presented by College Sports Communicators. Since 2018, the award has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury, illness, or other circumstances. At the conclusion of each season, in a vote by a panel of college football writers, editors, and sports information directors, three college football student-athletes are honored as Comeback Player of the Year Award winners at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
