Last season, the Indiana Hoosiers captured their first national championship. With head coach Curt Cignetti’s vision, IU became the first team to finish a season with a perfect 16-0 record. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza keyed the offense. Now, as he awaits his draft fate, Josh Hoover takes the reins.
Greg McElroy on Josh Hoover’s Talent and Consistency
One analyst discusses what the former TCU standout could bring to the offense. Before Indiana played for a national championship, Cignetti planned for life after Mendoza. Hoover committed on January 4, signing him to an NIL valuation of $2.3 million.
Now, with a title sitting in the display case and their former starting quarterback in the draft pool, it’s Hoover’s time. At 39:55 of this video, ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy opened up about Hoover and potential issues.
“That’s been the storyline. 13 picks. So, we know that Hoover has the talent. He clearly has that. But, can he continue to make great decisions the same way Fernando Mendoza did throughout last year’s championship run?”
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Last season, Hoover led the Big 12 with 13 interceptions. Of those, seven occurred in his last four games of the season while facing four bowl-eligible teams. One factor that could favor Hoover is the upgrade in talent. Along with the quarterback addition, Cignetti brought in two quality outside receivers from the transfer portal.
Former Tulane wideout Shazz Preston and Michigan State’s Nick Marsh give Indiana two outside threats. On top of that, Charlie Becker returns to Bloomington. Becker is most remembered for his clutch catches against Miami in the title game.
Even with the 13 interceptions, Hoover still threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns last year, following a 2024 campaign where he eclipsed 3,900 yards and 27 passing touchdowns. Additionally, with a career yards per attempt of 8.1, Hoover looks to push the ball downfield.
McElroy argued that Hoover lacked weapons and support in the trenches: “Because if last year was kind of maybe a TCU problem, maybe it was the inconsistent offensive line, maybe it was not what you wanted at receiver, then Indiana might actually have a guy that is as good as anybody in the sport.”
The statistics do not support the analyst’s statement. TCU boasted a strong receiver corps, led by Eric McAlister, who led the Big 12 with 1,190 receiving yards. Next to him, Jordan Dwyer contributed 730 yards and seven touchdowns. Similarly, the offensive line played well.
According to the PFSN CFB Team OL Impact Rankings, Hoover’s blockers occupied the No. 37 position. On balance, Hoover prospered, holding down the No. 21 spot in the PFSN CFB QB Impact Rankings.
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Within those rankings, a key stat that could help Indiana down the stretch exists. If you combine the conversion attempts on third and fourth down, Hoover kept the chains moving 43.6% of the time. That keeps momentum while forcing the opposing defense to stay on the field longer, causing fatigue.
The Hoosiers kick off their season with four consecutive home games, starting with North Texas on September 5 in Bloomington. Can Hoover take over for Mendoza and keep winning, or does the Heisman winner’s departure hang over the program?
