Tom Brady on Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza: 'He's Got a Bright Future'

In one season at Indiana, quarterback Fernando Mendoza won 2025 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors, the 2025 Heisman Trophy Award, the College Football Playoff National Championship and could very well now be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, a selection possessed by the Las Vegas Raiders.

What does Tom Brady, who was in attendance for Indiana's National Championship victory over Miami, see in Mendoza?

"He's played tremendous all season," Brady said about Mendoza, who declared for the draft on Friday morning, on Friday's edition of "The Herd." "Sixteen-0, leading his team. He's another guy that when you hear him speak — [when] I always kind of judge quarterbacks, I go, ‘How would I have answered that?’ — and he's just a very mature young man. He's got a bright future. Everybody coming into the league, there's still so much room for development. Nobody's a finished product. I don't care whether you won the Heisman or you're the 199th pick in the draft. It's ‘what do you do when you get there? How important is this to you? Are you obsessed with your job? Are you obsessed with being the best you can be?’

"These young men, whether it's Fernando or a lot of other players that were on the field the other night [in the National Championship], they have a great opportunity to do something in their life to enhance their family's life, to go impact a community in a positive way by playing great football and bringing joy to the fan base, and that's a job you take very seriously."

Across Indiana's 16 games this season, Mendoza totaled 3,535 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 182.9 passer rating, while completing 72.0% of his passes. He also rushed for 276 yards and seven touchdowns.

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