Fernando Mendoza’s path was unlike that of typical top-tier college quarterbacks. He was initially a two-star recruit, received few scholarship offers, and was even denied a walk-on chance at Miami.
However, Mendoza defied all the odds by first securing the Heisman Trophy for his magnificent 2025 season performance. His phenomenal journey with Indiana ultimately ended on Monday with the Hoosiers winning the College Football Playoff National Championship over Miami.
Analyst Compares Fernando Mendoza’s Heroics to Vince Young and Doug Flutie
Mendoza didn’t have his most polished passing performance in Indiana’s championship win over Miami, but he made crucial plays when it mattered most. One of which included him scrambling 12 yards into the end zone on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 remaining, giving Indiana a 24-14 lead.
On the latest episode of College Sports Radio on Sirius XM, football analyst Danny Kanell compared Mendoza’s crucial play to some of college football’s most legendary moments.
“It’s one of the greatest plays in college football history ever,” Kanell said on Tuesday. “When I think of Vince Young running in at the Rose Bowl, that’s another iconic play, Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary. I mean, there’s some plays that just, you remember as being some of the all-time great plays, the individual effort. How about how bloodied up he was? His lip was bloody. His arm was bruised. He’s tough as nails. He is absolutely, without question, the best player in college football.
“He is absolutely the quarterback that I would want to draft No. 1. There won’t be a debate. It won’t be close. I don’t even think anybody else. Sometimes you’ll see somebody make the case for somebody else. I don’t even think anyone else will make the case.”
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If we go back in history, Young’s game-winning touchdown run in the 2006 Rose Bowl is considered one of the most legendary plays in college football, securing Texas a national championship over top-ranked USC. Facing fourth-and-five with just 19 seconds left in the game, Young scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown to seal the win and break the Trojans’ 34-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, the Hail Flutie pass was executed in 1984, when Boston College quarterback Flutie threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan to beat the defending national champion Miami as time expired. The play cemented Flutie’s legacy as the 1984 Heisman Trophy winner.
Being compared to these historic plays is a tremendous honor for Mendoza. He finished the national title game, completing 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards and a rushing touchdown. Besides the Heisman Trophy, his 2025 season also earned him accolades such as the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award.
Mendoza’s leadership also helped Indiana achieve historic milestones this past season: its first Big Ten championship in 58 years and its first undefeated season in 80 years. He completed his Hoosiers career with a 93.3 score in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric.
