What Did Indiana HC Cignetti Tell Fernando Mendoza About Heisman Trophy Award?

Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza likely locked up the 2025 Heisman Trophy by leading his team past Ohio State in Saturday's Big Ten championship game.

After the 13-10 victory, Mendoza revealed that advice from Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti earlier in the season helped shape his mindset for chasing individual accolades.

"I don't want to go in deep depth with the Heisman, but I remember Coach Cignetti brought me in, I think it was after UCLA, and he told me, 'Hey, the Heisman's a team game, it's a team award. It's not a player award. And if you win, then you can get nominated for it,'" Mendoza said, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "Hopefully, I would love the opportunity to get the invite to New York, which would be fantastic."

Indiana Wins Big Ten Title

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Mendoza threw for 222 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Saturday's victory over the defending national champion Buckeyes, making clutch throws to help rally the Hoosiers from a 10-3 deficit.

After transferring from Cal, Mendoza unlocked new levels to his game in his first year in Indiana. He's completed 71.5 percent of his passes this season for 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns and six interceptions while also adding six rushing touchdowns. He's widely expected to be in the running for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, as B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranks him as the No. 4 overall player in the class.

Winning the Heisman Trophy would certainly boost Mendoza's resume, and it appears that he's already done enough to earn the honor.