Fernando Mendoza's Complete Career Timeline from 2-Star Recruit to Heisman Winner

One of the biggest reasons that Indiana football turned into a national powerhouse this season was the ascent of Fernando Mendoza, but it wasn't a given that he was going to be a superstar upon transferring to the program last offseason.

Mendoza became the first Hoosiers player ever to win the Heisman Trophy after leading them to an undefeated regular season and a victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.

With the possibility that Mendoza's final college game will be in the College Football Playoff Championship Game, here is a closer look at the timeline from being a lightly-recruited 2-star high school prospect to the best player in the country in the span of three years.

High School Recruit

Mendoza was the 140th-ranked quarterback and No. 2,149 overall prospect in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

When he initially received no scholarship offers from FBS programs, Mendoza committed to play for Yale in August 2021. It wasn't until December of that year when then-California offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave reached out and started watching his high school tape.

Other schools on Mendoza's recruiting list at the time were FIU, Bryant, Lehigh and Pennsylvania.

Six months after initially committing to Yale, Mendoza flipped to Cal. He explained to Andrew Ivins of 247Sports that his first visit with Cal's coaching staff sealed the deal:

"Although I had signed with Yale, it was a non-binding contract because I wasn't on scholarship. So, Coach [Bill] Musgrave reached out and we started talking. We had a couple of meetings over the phone in which I expressed my high IQ. He was impressed. So, we had more meetings. Then Coach Musgrave flew down to Miami and met with me at my house. He then offered me a full scholarship.

"The next weekend I went on a visit. It was amazing. From the time I stepped out of the plane, I knew it was home. The coaching staff was so nice and welcoming. And even though it's on the other side of the country, they made me feel comfortable and at home. I know Cal is a place that I'm going to be able to succeed and win many Rose Bowls and championships."

Mendoza told Jim McGill of Bear Insider that he had offers from a few other programs, including Alabama, as a preferred walk-on, but he kept his commitment to Cal because it was the "best place for me."

The Cal Years

After redshirting in his first season, Mendoza started the 2023 campaign as Cal's third quarterback behind Ben Finley and Sam Jackson.

Injuries to Finley and Jackson opened the door for Mendoza to make his first career start against Oregon State. He went 21-of-32 for 207 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 52-40 loss.

Mendoza went on to lose his first four starts, all against ranked opponents (Oregon State, Utah, USC, Oregon). He closed the year strong, throwing for 622 yards, seven touchdowns and a 65.5 completion percentage during a three-game winning streak that made the Bears bowl eligible.

Even though the Independence Bowl wasn't Mendoza's finest hour with three interceptions in a 34-14 loss to Texas Tech, he did solidify his standing as their starter for the following year.

The 2024 season saw Mendoza's game take a big step forward. He threw for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and a 68.7 completion percentage in 11 games. His breakout was in Cal's near-upset of No. 8 Miami when he went toe-to-toe with eventual Heisman-winner Cam Ward in a 39-38 loss.

Cal went 6-5 with Mendoza in its first season as an ACC program. He sat out the regular-season finale against SMU due to an illness and didn't play in the LA Bowl against UNLV after entering the transfer portal.

Recruited to Indiana

As part of the 2025 transfer class, Mendoza was the No. 4 quarterback behind Nico Iamaleava, Carson Beck and John Mateer.

Even though Mendoza is from Miami and took part in a football camp with the Hurricanes during his sophomore year in high school, Indiana had a leg up in recruiting him because his younger brother, Alberto, was on the roster as a member of Curt Cignetti's first recruiting class.

Dave Dunn, Mendoza's coach at Columbus High School, told Grace Raynor of The Athletic that in his opinion Fernando probably doesn't go to Indiana if his brother wasn't there.

"If Alberto was not at Indiana, I don't think Fernando goes there," Dunn said. "That's my opinion. That was a big part of it."

Mendoza committed to the Hoosiers on Christmas Eve in 2024, four days after their season ended with a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff.

The Heisman Season

Despite being a well-regarded transfer recruit, expectations for Mendoza and Indiana entering 2025 were understandably modest. The Hoosiers were ranked No. 20 in the AP preseason poll, marking just the second time since 1970 they were in the preseason top 25.

The start of the season featured a fairly uninspired performance by Mendoza and the offense in a 27-14 win over Old Dominion. He finished 18-of-31 for 193 yards through the air, but did add 33 yards and a touchdown as a runner.

It turns out that would be the low point for Mendoza, who has thrown for 3,156 yards and 41 touchdowns in 14 games since the opener. He has six games with a completion percentage of at least 80.0 this season.

The Hoosiers have won nine games this season by at least 20 points, including both of their College Football Playoff victories over Alabama and Oregon.

Perhaps the defining moment of Mendoza's season that won him the Heisman was a go-ahead seven-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. with 36 seconds remaining in a 27-24 win at Penn State.

The other key game that pushed Mendoza over the top in the Heisman race was the Big Ten Championship against Ohio State. He finished 15-of-23 for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 13-10 win.

Mendoza's key drive in the game was Indiana's first possession in the third quarter. After scoring just six points in the first half, he drove them 88 yards in seven plays and capped it off with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt that proved to be the difference.

Heisman voters overwhelmingly voted Mendoza as the winner of this year's award. He received 643 first-place votes and 2,362 points, beating out Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (189 first-place votes, 1,435 points).

In the history of Indiana football, only six players had ever finished in the top 10 of Heisman voting prior to Mendoza's win.