$2.6 million QB ranked as No. 1 transfer in college football

New York, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (left to right) and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia and Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin pose with the Heisman trophy during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Indiana capped a perfect 13–0 regular season by winning the Big Ten title, snapping a long skid against Ohio State and securing the No. 1 seed in the expanded College Football Playoff.

Under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti (24–2 at Indiana), the Hoosiers authored a program-defining season that thrust the program firmly into the national spotlight.

In his first year at Indiana after transferring from Cal, quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 226-of-316 passes (71.5%) for 2,980 yards, 33 passing touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding 240 rushing yards and six rushing scores.

He posted the second-highest passer rating among starting quarterbacks (181.4) and ranked fifth nationally in completion rate, sweeping major awards including the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, AP Player of the Year, and Big Ten Offensive and Quarterback of the Year honors.

Following his historic season, On3’s Pete Nakos ranked Mendoza as the top transfer addition of the 2025 season, pointing to his immediate, program-altering impact in Indiana’s breakout campaign.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A Christopher Columbus High School (Miami, FL) product, Mendoza entered the Power Five ranks as a three-star recruit and the No. 140 quarterback in the 2022 class according to 247Sports.

He steadily developed in California, highlighted by a career-best 3,004 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2024, before transferring to Indiana in December 2024.

That foundation set the stage for a 2025 breakout that elevated him into arguably the sport’s top quarterback and one of college football’s most valuable NIL assets, with an estimated valuation of $2.6 million.

Several national outlets and mock-draft models also project Mendoza as a potential top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, Indiana is scheduled to face No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal on January 1.

A win would send the Hoosiers to the CFP semifinals (Jan. 8–9) and potentially the national championship game on Jan. 19, a run that would further solidify Mendoza’s rapid rise.

Read More at College Football HQ

• 25-touchdown RB shares farewell note after entering college football transfer portal

• College Football Playoff team loses All-Conference player to transfer portal

• College football team loses three All-Americans to transfer portal

• $2.4 million QB connected to major college football program in transfer portal