How Curt Cignetti Landed Fernando Mendoza and Turned Him Into a Heisman Candidate

When Fernando Mendoza entered the transfer portal in the offseason, the former Cal Bear instantly became one of the top quarterbacks available. Luckily for Indiana, it already had a strong connection to the Mendoza family established to help land the quarterback. 

In the latest episode of "The Joel Klatt Show," Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti detailed how his program was able to land Mendoza, who was the fourth-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal last season (per 247 Sports). 

"Well, it was a pretty easy decision," Cignetti said of Indiana's pursuit of Mendoza. "And you know, we had his younger brother, Alberto, in the program. Alberto won a couple state championships and has a lot of great qualities, so the family was very familiar with how we run the program and the history of success we've had with the quarterback position."

Less than two weeks after Mendoza entered the portal, Indiana landed his commitment, beating out Georgia and Missouri for the prized quarterback. In retrospect, Mendoza's decision wound up being one of the defining moments of the offseason. He's statistically been one of the best quarterbacks in the FBS, ranking 12th in yards per attempt (9.3) and third in total touchdowns (19).

More importantly, Mendoza has taken Indiana to another level after last season’s breakout, when the Hoosiers shocked the college football world by reaching the College Football Playoff. On Saturday, he led the Hoosiers into Oregon and took down the third-ranked Ducks, throwing for 215 yards and a touchdown in a 30–20 victory.

The victory seemed to solidify Mendoza's status as a Heisman contender as well, giving him the third-best odds (+475) to win the award entering Week 8. He's also received consideration to be