Indiana football has completely reinvented itself under head coach Curt Cignetti. The team finished last season with an impressive 11-2 record, made the College Football Playoff, and broke into the Top 10 in the Associated Press poll. The Hoosiers used to lose games easily, but now they are producing NFL-caliber players.
With veteran quarterback Kurtis Rourke now in the NFL, Fernando Mendoza appears to be the next potential star. NFL Draft experts believe he could take a major leap this season and possibly become a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza Earning High Praise From Scouts
After transferring from Cal, where he threw for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just six interceptions in 2024, Mendoza is now drawing first-round projections from multiple analysts.
At 6’5″ and 225 pounds, Mendoza checks all the boxes. He has the size, arm strength, and mobility that every NFL team looks for in their quarterbacks. Now, with the new winning culture at Indiana, he has stepped into a system that consistently elevates its quarterbacks.
NFL Draft expert Steve Muench believes the 21-year-old is in the right place to make a big jump in 2025. He points to Indiana’s recent success with transfer quarterbacks under Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan.
On a recent episode of “The McShay Show,” Muench said, “Let’s start at JMU 2022. They’re bringing Todd Centello from Colorado State. They go 8-3. He’s the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year… They go and get Jordan McLeod, who’s at Arizona, and Temple goes 11-2.
“And guess who’s the Sun Belt offensive player of the year. McLeod… Curtis Rourke from Ohio. He comes in. I think he set the passing record for touchdowns in a season at Indiana…”
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Reacting to this trend, McShay said, “The way Indiana’s identified quarterbacks in the way he fits in their scheme. I’m optimistic that this kid could take a big jump this year in this offense.”
In 20 games at Cal, Mendoza completed 66.4% of his passes for 4,712 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He also tied NFL star quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Gale Gilbert with 10 career games of 250-or-more passing yards.
Now, heading into the 2025 season, expectations remain the same as before. 247Sports analyst Brad Crawford ranks the Cal transfer as the No. 7 quarterback in college football. He projects the Florida native to throw for 3,190 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just five interceptions this year.
With so many analysts placing their trust in his quarterback abilities, Mendoza appears to be shaping up into a first-round NFL Draft pick next year.
