Fernando Mendoza 'Addicted to Success' After Indiana Football's Historic Season

On his path to college football's pinnacle, Fernando Mendoza often recalled the time he wanted to quit football as an 11-year-old backup, or the times in high school he'd cry in his bedroom and wonder why he wasn't highly recruited.

Mendoza's football infancy didn't include much success. One season at Indiana changed everything.

The Miami native has ascended past stardom, past superstardom, and has reached, if only for this brief window of time, megastar status.

Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy. He made perhaps the greatest play in Indiana history, a decisive 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-5 in the fourth quarter to beat Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the Today Show.

And back in Bloomington, at a meet-and-greet at Dick's Sporting Goods, fans gave a king's welcome to Mendoza, who stayed long after he was scheduled to take pictures with and sign autographs for those who'd taken a once-overlooked recruit and made him America's darling.

"It's been a whirlwind," Mendoza told reporters Friday over Zoom after winning the Manning Award. "I think that's a great vocabulary term to use. It's just a blessing and pleasure to be a part of this and to be a part of this team."

This team — the 2025 Hoosiers — went 16-0, becoming the first school in modern college football history to do so and the first overall since Yale in 1894. Indiana had its first unbeaten regular season in program history then beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, dominated Alabama in the Rose Bowl, blew out Oregon in the Peach Bowl and toppled Miami in the national title game.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti didn't allow complacency to infiltrate the walls of his program, and Mendoza said the Hoosiers kept their head down and nose to the grindstone the entire season.

The party that ensued, one full of cigars and confetti in Miami, full of meet-and-greets and fan gatherings in Bloomington, and for Mendoza, a trip to New York City for national television appearances, offered Indiana the first chance to savor the run that captivated the nation.

Now, the dust has settled. Players have moved onto their next endeavors, be it preparing for the 2026 season or training for the NFL Draft. With it gave Mendoza the opportunity to reflect upon and appreciate the past 12 months, the span that changed his life.

"It's been monumental for my development, monumental for the entire team and the impact it's had on Bloomington," Mendoza said. "And just really fortunate and blessed to be in this position, looking back on all we've accomplished and all we've done."

Indiana often touted Mendoza's growth with his footwork, post-snap processing and pocket poise.

But there was little mention of Mendoza's affinity for winning. He'd done it plenty in prior stops, but never as much, or as dominant, in Bloomington.

Yet while Mendoza's trophy case is full and his LinkedIn account is littered with accomplishments, he's not satisfied. Part of it stems from Cignetti's ever-preached mantras. The rest of it? Well, addictions are awfully hard to stop.

"Now, all I can think about is training for draft prep, because now that I have a little taste of success, I'm addicted," Mendoza said. "I'm addicted and really trying to chase that feeling again and try to chase with my new teammates and my new team.

"So it's been a pleasure to reflect on this past year. And hey, it's great and a great blessing that this has happened. And now, (I'm) addicted to success and trying to replicate that in the next level."

Though Mendoza's season appeared smooth sailing on paper, he faced his share of struggles. He admitted the Heisman Trophy noise surrounded him. Though he deleted social media apps, he couldn't escape it — the sport's most iconic trophy was everywhere he looked.

"Obviously we always want to win," Mendoza said, "but sometimes looking at the games, maybe at the end part of the season, kind of like comparing the stats, I would say there was a little bit of pressure there."

Winning was always Mendoza's top priority, but he felt the Heisman Trophy served as a confidence boost to himself and his teammates that Indiana, which entered the season as college football's losingest program, had been nationally recognized.

Claiming the Heisman Trophy was a bonding moment, Mendoza said, for the team. But it was similarly important for lifting weight from the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mendoza's shoulders before the College Football Playoff.

"To be blunt with you," Mendoza said, "it did take a little bit of the edge off."

Mendoza's legacy at Indiana will forever be attached to the national championship and the Heisman Trophy. But the underlying theme behind his tenure pertains to the manner in which he impacted the fans and community who'd longed for players like him to take the program to heights like this.

For Mendoza, such a movement validates his belief that sports are a bigger catalyst than just entertainment. Football, he said, is a catalyst of joy.

Mendoza accomplished all of his on-field goals at Indiana, both team and individual. But he checked his biggest off-field bucket list item, too.

"I think that is the greatest satisfaction out of all this, when you can impact somebody else's life in a positive way," Mendoza said. "And that is my mission. I believe as a Catholic man, I believe that God and Jesus Christ made me a football player in order to spread his word, but also to give joy to other people and to give meaning to other people.

"Whether it's my teammates, my coaches, me, my mom and her story, whatever it shall be, I think it's always about trying to make an impact. And whenever I'm able to interact in a way where I'm able to see or hear about somebody else getting overwhelmed with joy, or just bring a small reaction, pleasure or joy to somebody, it is extremely fulfilling. I believe that is my mission."

Mission accomplished — and a high so good, so strong, Mendoza plans to keep chasing it for the rest of his career.