2026 Replacement For Indiana Quarterback Fernando Mendoza Has Emerged
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Replacing star quarterback Fernando Mendoza won't be easy, that's for sure.
Indiana earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff in large part because of Mendoza. The talented signal-caller is completing 71.5% of his pass attempts this season for 2,980 yards with 33 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also has 240 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
Most analysts expect Mendoza to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He'll try to solidify his status as the top quarterback prospect this Thursday when Indiana takes on Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
Who'll replace Mendoza?
Earlier this month, TCU quarterback Josh Hoover announced that he's entering the NCAA transfer portal.
"I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to represent TCU for an incredible 4 years. It has been a dream to be able to play and graduate from this university and I will forever be grateful for that," Hoover said. "I want to thank Coach Sykes for giving me the opportunity to play at TCU. I want to thank Coach Briles and the rest of the coaching staff for pushing me to be my best on and off the field. Lastly, I want to thank my teammates for all of the memories that we've shared together. This place has allowed me to meet some of my best friends, and I will always be grateful for that. I've prayed about this and decided that I will be entering the transfer portal."
Although it hasn't been confirmed, Hoover keeps being mentioned as an option at quarterback for Indiana next season.
I’m told that TCU transfer, QB Josh Hoover, will be heading to Indiana.
Curt Cignetti and No. 1 Indiana get their replacement for their Heisman winning QB, Fernando Mendoza. pic.twitter.com/L2M9fPQ9w2
— Larry (@larry010824) December 31, 2025
Hoover had an excellent four-year run at TCU, completing 65.2% of his passes for 9,629 yards with 71 touchdowns and 33 interceptions.
If Hoover commits to Indiana, he'd most likely be the Week 1 starter. That being said, we can't overlook the valuable playing time Alberto Mendoza has received this season. The Heisman Trophy winner's younger brother had 286 passing yards, 184 rushing yards and six total touchdowns in the regular season.
Luckily for the Hoosiers, they won't have to worry about replacing Mendoza just yet. They'll get to enjoy at least one more game with him as their starter.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Dec 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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