Why did Fernando Medonza transfer to Indiana from Cal? Explaining the QB’s 2025 portal decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Fernando Mendoza arrived in Bloomington as a high-production but underappreciated quarterback from Cal, seeking a fresh environment to chase his NFL dream. He left behind a successful two-year starting tenure in Berkeley — a place he loved — driven by the belief that he needed a new offense and a new coach to polish the rough edges of his game and maximize his potential for the next level. Fast forward to December, and Mendoza had become an Indiana program legend.
Advertisement
Mendoza didn’t just meet expectations under Curt Cignetti — he shattered them. He led the Hoosiers to their first 13-0 regular season, their first outright Big Ten championship since 1945, . He also proved his dual-threat potential by throwing for 2,980 yards and a nation-leading 33 touchdowns against only six interceptions while adding six rushing scores. His production earned him the 2025 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback of the Year awards, along with the Walter Camp Player of the Year.
When discussing his transfer, Mendoza said he viewed Indiana as the best place for growth, choosing the program over “blue bloods” like Georgia and Missouri because Cignetti promised to turn him into the “best Fernando Mendoza possible.” His commitment became one of the most consequential transfer decisions of the offseason, elevating an already ascending program into a college football powerhouse.
Let’s revisit his decision to follow Cignetti to Indiana — and why Mendoza will go down in Indiana and college football history.
MORE: Curt Cignetti’s best quotes at Indiana
Advertisement
Why did Fernando Mendoza transfer from Cal to Indiana?
Mendoza stated that his primary reason for leaving was to find a system that could turn him into a “pro-ready quarterback.”
While he was an above-average quarterback at Cal, setting a program record with a completion percentage over 66%, he believed the new system under Cignetti and his staff would offer better coaching and development in key areas. The quarterback entered the transfer portal as the No. 2 quarterback in the class.
When asked about the transfer decision, Mendoza said “If I were to come to Indiana, that I would develop as a quarterback, I’d get great coaching, and I would be able to be the best Fernando Mendoza that I could be.”
Another reason why Mendoza decided to go to Bloomington was his younger brother, Alberto, who was already a redshirt freshman quarterback at Indiana.
Advertisement
“My brother was here. He knows all the intricacies of the school, the goods, the bad, the excellent,” Mendoza said in an interview with NBC’s Nicole Auerbauch. “The extra information that Indiana brought, plus having the aspect of being able to play with my brother, develop with him and just unite with him was also an additional gaining factor for Indiana.”
MORE: Where does Indiana’s Curt Cignetti rank among college football’s highest-paid coaches?
Fernando Mendoza stats
|
Category |
Total |
|
Completion Percentage |
71.5% (226-of-316) |
|
Passing Yards |
2,980 |
|
Passing Touchdowns |
33* |
|
Interceptions |
6 |
|
QB Rating (Efficiency) |
181.39 |
|
Rushing Yards |
240 |
|
Rushing Touchdowns |
6 |
|
Total Touchdowns |
39 |
|
Record |
13-0 |
*Led FBS
Mendoza’s transfer to Indiana sparked a statistical revolution, setting multiple program records in 2025 with the Hoosiers’. He led the nation in passing touchdowns with 33 — a new Indiana single-season record.
Advertisement
Ultimately, Mendoza’s season stats are more than just numbers; they are the foundation of Indiana’s historic success. His 39 total touchdowns (ranking second nationally) powered the Hoosiers’ offense throughout their historic run, culminating in the first outright Big Ten Championship for the school since 1945. Mendoza became only the second Indiana player ever to be a Heisman finalist, along with being named the Big Ten’s Quarterback of the Year and Walter Camp Player of the Year.
MORE: How Curt Cignetti turned Indiana into a national powerhouse
Fernando Mendoza recruiting
Despite competing in one of the country’s most heavily scouted regions and leading a dominant program, Mendoza was consistently rated as a two-star or low three-star prospect by recruiting services. He was not invited to major camps, and his film was largely ignored by the top-tier Power Five schools, forcing him to accept that his future likely lay in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) or the Ivy League.
Advertisement
This lack of attention culminated in Mendoza committing to Yale University before his senior season, a decision that reflected his strong academic profile and the reality of his limited options. He was receiving offers from programs like Yale, Penn, and Lehigh, which are highly respected but do not compete at the highest level of college football.
The seismic shift in his recruitment came late in the cycle: the University of California, Berkeley (Cal) extended him a scholarship offer in January 2022, after another quarterback de-committed from the program. This was the single, solitary FBS/Power Five offer Mendoza received from over 130 eligible programs. Driven by the burning desire to compete at the highest level, Mendoza swiftly flipped his commitment to Cal.
After redshirting his first year in Northern California, he was thrust into the starting role mid-season in 2023, showcasing his toughness by completing 63.0% of his passes for 1,708 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2024, he won the job outright, passing for over 3,004 yards with 16 touchdowns.
He entered the portal in December 2024, and the rest is history — not only for Indiana, but all of college football.
Advertisement
