Indiana Lands Huge Quarterback Transfer After College Football Playoff Loss
12/24/2024 11:16 AM
Indiana appears to have snagged a new starting quarterback for the 2025 season.
The Hoosiers made the College Football Playoff after going 11-1 behind Kurtis Rourke, who transferred after five seasons at Ohio. His college career ended Friday night when Notre Dame eliminated Indiana with a 27-17 victory.
Curt Cignetti found another new signal caller off the portal on Tuesday. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Fernando Mendoza will transfer from California to Indiana.
ESPN's Max Olson ranked Mendoza as the No. 4 overall player in the transfer portal. The redshirt sophomore has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining.
Mendoza completed 68.7 percent of his passes during a strong 2024 season for the Golden Bears. The 6-foot-5 starter accrued 3,004 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions despite getting sacked 41 times in 11 games.
Mendoza ended his Cal career by compiling 299 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 24-21 victory over Stanford. He sat out last Wednesday's LA Bowl, which Cal lost to UNLV.
A three-star recruit out of Miami, Mendoza is now poised to steer a Big Ten offense that registered 41.3 points per game this season. Rourke matches Ohio State's Will Howard for a Big Ten-high 29 passing touchdowns while leading all conference quarterbacks with 9.5 yards per attempt and a 176.0 quarterback rating.
Indiana's backup, Tayven Jackson, entered the portal following the team's CFP elimination. The sophomore guided the Hoosiers to a 31-17 win over Washington in October.
Their quarterback room includes Mendoza's younger brother, Alberto Mendoza. The freshman threw just one pass (a six-yard completion) this year.
Shortly before losing to Notre Dame, Indiana made a significant staffing addition for the 2025 campaign. The program hired Atlanta Falcons passing game specialist Chandler Whitmer as their new quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.
Related: Former Ohio State Quarterback Announces Transfer Commitment
