While focusing on the College Football Playoff National Championship Game is vital to the top-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, sometimes other things, such as kindness to a young fan, take priority.
The Hoosiers, who will play the Miami Hurricanes on Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., were busy on Wednesday. They were inviting 10-year-old Drew Shouse to join them in South Florida.
Fernando Mendoza and Co. Invite the Young Fan to CFP National Championship Game
Several Hoosiers football players, including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, shared messages on X, letting Shouse know that he will be in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Monday night. Indianapolis Star reporter Joshua Heron shared the video messages on X.
IU players inform 10-year-old super fan Drew Shouse he’s going to the national championship game! Shouse has a rare heart defect and was matched with IU in 2023 through Team IMPACT, a nonprofit org that connects children facing serious illness with college athletic teams.… pic.twitter.com/fxHQWSSMPb
— Joshua Heron (@HeronReports) January 13, 2026
“IU players inform 10-year-old super fan Drew Shouse he’s going to the national championship game!” Heron posted. “Shouse has a rare heart defect and was matched with IU in 2023 through Team IMPACT, a nonprofit org that connects children facing serious illness with college athletic teams.”
Shouse, according to these Indiana players, was present at the Rose Bowl. In that game, Mendoza and the Hoosiers rolled over the Alabama Crimson Tide 38-3.
The Hoosiers advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Miami by defeating Oregon 56-22. The Hurricanes beat Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl to make it a home game for them against Indiana.
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Mendoza was lights-out against the Crimson Tide, throwing for 192 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Hoosiers running back Kaelon Black led the ground game with 15 carries for 99 yards and one touchdown. Shouse was there to see it all take place, and now he’ll be watching his favorite college football team go for college football’s biggest team prize.
According to Team IMPACT’s website, the organization’s “unique multiyear program matches children facing serious illness and disability with college athletic teams across the country. Our mission is to guide children and teams alike in a mutually beneficial relationship of belonging, empowerment, and resilience.”
Additionally, according to its website, the organization’s vision is to “create a world where every child facing serious illness and disability feels supported by something bigger and every team is transformed by a greater purpose.”
Mendoza and the Hoosiers will do their best to win one for this young fan, who continues to cheer for his favorite college football team as the season winds down.
