Along with making for a great quarterback, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza makes for a great interview.
Mendoza and the Hoosiers took down Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday night in Indianapolis to win the Big Ten Championship, and to claim the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
After the win, Mendoza was emotional in the life-changing moment during an interview with Fox reporter Jenny Taft.
“Indiana, the Big Ten champs,” Taft said. “How does that sound?”
“It sounds so beautiful” Mendoza exclaimed. “I want to give all the glory to God! We were never supposed to be in this position! But by the glory of God, the great coaches, great teammates, everybody we have around us, we were able to pull this off! Who ever thought the Hoosiers would be here?! But now the Hoosiers are flippin’ champs! Let’s go!”
“You guys call yourself a bunch of misfits who found the right home at Indiana,” Taft said. “Why was this the right place for this group?”
“It’s the right place; we’re process-oriented!” Mendoza explained. “We’re going by day by day, whether it’s the offensive line, the defense, the coaches, special teams, we’re all process-oriented to one goal! That’s our thing is we’re brothers! We can drag teams into the deep end because we know we’re going to stick together, and we have the strongest glue ever!”
“Tell me about finding Charlie Becker,” Taft said. “Third down, two minutes to go; we talk about Heisman moments, but take me through that one.”
“Every single day and summer, we would always throw it before practice, at 7 a.m. on Sundays, doing spots, doing routes, and now you see it come to fruition!” Mendoza responded. “He’s my roommate! I couldn’t be happier for such a young man as well, as well as our defense playing lights out… What an incredible moment!”
Mendoza made a few throws in the game that show why he’s the favorite to be the top quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
And his leadership traits will certainly make NFL organizations very happy as well.
But for now, Mendoza is focused on trying to keep this incredible Indiana run going through the College Football Playoff.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.