Indiana's Fernando Mendoza 'definitely deserves some Heisman support,' ex-Hoosiers star says

Indiana Hoosiers backmost Fernando Mendoza entered the fray arsenic 1 of the apical players successful the federation this play arsenic the Big Ten schoolhouse is poised to decorativeness the regular play undefeated.

The Cal transfer, who is successful his archetypal play astatine Indiana, has 2,641 passing yards and is tied successful the nationalist pb with 30 touchdown passes. He’s among the favorites to triumph the Heisman Trophy this twelvemonth with the champion likelihood going into the last crippled of the regular play against Purdue, according to FOX Sports.

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Indiana Hoosiers backmost Fernando Mendoza (15) runs with the shot during the 4th fourth against the Penn State Nittany Lions astatine Beaver Stadium connected Nov. 8, 2025.  (Matthew O'Haren/Imagn Images)

Trent Green, an Indiana alum himself, took announcement of Mendoza’s quality and was banging the drum for the young quarterback’s Heisman Trophy candidacy.

"Mendoza decidedly deserves immoderate Heisman support. I’ll commencement it close now. I deliberation there’s a agelong database of radical that person started it earlier me, but what he’s been capable to do, what Curt Cignetti’s been capable to bash since helium came implicit arsenic caput coach. I thought past twelvemonth was conscionable a phenomenal play for them to marque it into the College Football Playoff to play Notre Dame," Green told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.

Green pointed to the adjacent games successful which Indiana was capable to eke retired wins successful the 4th quarter. Late interceptions astir crushed the Hoosiers, but Mendoza was capable to pb his squad to victories.

In 1 of those games, helium recovered wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. for a go-ahead touchdown. Cooper deed an unthinkable toe-tap to implicit the drawback successful bounds.

Indiana backmost Fernando Mendoza runs disconnected the tract pursuing an NCAA assemblage shot crippled against Wisconsin, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, successful Bloomington, Indiana (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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"Mendoza, you speech astir conscionable the quality of him. I didn’t cognize a batch astir him erstwhile helium came implicit from Cal. There’s a crushed wherefore the guys travel him and he’s a person and the guys successful the locker country similar him – his intelligence toughness," Green said. "A batch is made astir however astute helium is and helium works done progressions and helium gets them successful the close play and helium uses his feet astatine the close clip and he’s capable to marque each the throws, but you deliberation astir the 3 pugnacious roadworthy games that they had – they were astatine Iowa, astatine Oregon and astatine Penn State – each of those games, they were adjacent games.

"He threw an aboriginal 4th fourth interception successful each 3 of those games, yet helium was capable to wide that from his mind, travel backmost out, volition pb them connected game-winning drives and propulsion a touchdown successful the 4th fourth to triumph each those games connected the road. So, that conscionable shows you the intelligence toughness that goes on with each the endowment that helium has."

Indiana backmost Fernando Mendoza throws earlier an NCAA assemblage shot crippled against Wisconsin, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, successful Bloomington, Indiana. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Green, who spoke to Fox News Digital connected behalf of his concern with Caesars Sportsbook, played astatine Indiana from 1989 to 1992.

He accumulated 5,136 passing yards and 31 touchdown passes successful those 4 seasons.

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