Who Influenced Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza? Tom Brady

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback and 2025 Heisman Trophy Award winner Fernando Mendoza looks poised to be selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

How did Mendoza get to this point? Was there a quarterback he tried to emulate?

"As a child, I was always a huge Tom Brady fan. I read a TB12 book. I was always big on the preparation because, like Tom, I'm not the biggest; I'm not the fastest; I'm not the strongest, but the edge is in the intellect and preparation, so I really appreciate him preaching that message from a young age," Mendoza said on Friday's edition of "The Herd."

"What's really important about being a quarterback is being cerebral, knowing where to go with the ball, knowing your checks, and all those different external factors that you don't think about when you just think about arm talent and footwork."

Of course, Brady, who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is first in NFL history with 89,214 passing yards and 649 passing touchdowns.

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 en route to Indiana winning its first National Championship in program history.

Mendoza, who was the 2025 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, led the conference in passing touchdowns and passer rating. Prior to transferring to Indiana, Mendoza spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career at California (2022-24), serving as the Golden Bears' primary starting quarterback from 2023-24.

Moreover, the quarterbacks of the two teams that appeared in this