$2.6 million QB named No. 1 quarterback in college football

A quarterback from a major college football program was considered the best at the position in 2025.

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) gets loose before the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 college football season officially wrapped up on Monday. Seven months separate the beginning of the 2026 college football season and Indiana's defeat of Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

A common end-of-season practice for college football media outlets involves both reflecting on the past season and projecting what may happen in the following college football season. These can include way too early top 25 rankings, predicting the next season's College Football Playoff bracket and examining the aging of takes prior to the season.

ESPN released its list of the top 100 college football players during the 2025 season. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was both the No. 1 quarterback and No. 1 overall player on ESPN's list.

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) gets loose before the Indiana versus Ohio State Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Indiana's first Heisman Trophy winner propelled the Hoosiers to their first outright Big Ten title since 1945, first wins in the Rose and Peach bowls and a once-unthinkable national championship," wrote Adam Rittenberg.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder began his college football career at California under Justin Wilcox in 2022. He did not see the field that season and opted to use a redshirt.

The Golden Bears featured Mendoza in nine of their 13 games over the course of the 2023 season. He tallied 1,708 pass yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for an additional 86 yards and two touchdowns. The Golden Bears were 6-7 in their final season as a Pac-12 member, ending the year with a loss to Texas Tech (34-14) in the Independence Bowl.

Mendoza started 11 games for California in 2024. He passed for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions while running for another 105 yards and two touchdowns. Mendoza entered the transfer portal prior to the Golden Bears' bowl game.

California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) throws a pass against the Stanford Cardinal | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

As Rittenberg alluded to, the perfect season Mendoza guided Indiana to in 2025 was previously unthinkable. Mendoza tallied 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions through the air while rushing for 276 yards and seven more touchdowns.

The Big Ten's coaches and media both named Mendoza to the All-Big Ten First Team. Additional Big Ten Honors for Mendoza included Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year and Grange-Griffin Big Ten Championship Game MVP.

The Athletic, Pro Football Focus, Sports Illustrated, Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America and Walter Camp Football Foundation named Mendoza to their All-America First Teams, while On3, CBS Sports and The Sporting News named him to their All-America Second Teams. Standalone awards for Mendoza included the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award and Davey O'Brien Award.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) warms up before the 2026 Rose Bowl | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images