Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana Hoosiers are gearing up for next Monday night’s national championship showdown against the Miami Hurricanes.
After winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to their best season in school history, winning a championship would add the icing on top of the cake. Beating Miami will be no easy task, but with Mendoza and head coach Curt Cignetti leading the way, Indiana has to feel good about its chances.
When the 2025 college football season comes to a close, Mendoza’s future will be the talk of the NFL. Many expect him to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. If that happens, he would begin his professional career with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Even though Mendoza is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick, legendary football coach Bill Belichick spoke out with honest words. He isn’t so solid just yet that the Raiders will take the Hoosiers’ quarterback.
“I’m not really sure, Jim (Gray),” Belichick said. “I think there’s obviously a lot of work to do on the draft between now and the end of April. So, you know, all teams will do their due diligence. There’s so many factors that go into draft choices.”
Belichick continued forward, offering more reasoning for his belief that the No. 1 pick hasn’t been decided just yet.
“And a lot of it’s what’s happened in the past, but a lot of it’s the projection of how it’s going to go in the future and how certain players fit into the system that each team has and how they think they’ll develop and so forth and so on. So it’s all the boards aren’t the same.”
Fernando Mendoza Has Made a Case to Be Indiana’s “GOAT”
Over the years, Indiana has not had a lot of elite talent on the football side of things. Mendoza may have already locked up the greatest of all-time status for the Hoosiers’ football program.
During the 2025 season for Indiana, Mendoza has put on a show. He has completed 73 percent of his pass attempts for 3,349 yards, 41 touchdowns, and just six interceptions, while also running for 284 yards and six more scores.
Those numbers made him the first Heisman Trophy winner in Hoosiers history.
Should he go on to win a national championship, which would also be Indiana’s first on the football side, his name would be etched into history. Regardless of where fans stand on Mendoza being the “GOAT” for the Hoosiers, his name will not be forgotten anytime soon in Bloomington.
Who Else Could Be the No. 1 Pick Over Mendoza?
Looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft, the widespread belief is that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore will be the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets.
Who else could Las Vegas decide to take if it passes on Mendoza? Moore would be one choice. Or, the Raiders could consider targeting a position other than quarterback.
Miami pass rusher Ruben Bain Jr., Ohio State stars Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, and Carnell Tate are also expected to be drafted high. However, none of those names carry the weight that Mendoz would for Las Vegas.
Belichick isn’t ready to crown Mendoza just yet, but that outcome seems almost inevitable at this point in time.
Bill Belichick Gets Honest About Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza