‘4 Inches Taller, 25 Pounds Heavier’ — Curt Cignetti Draws Striking Contrast Between Fernando Mendoza and Josh Hoover

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Indiana coach Curt Cignetti signed former TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover to headline college football’s No. 1 transfer portal class for the reigning national champions.

Hoover will have huge shoes to fill after his predecessor, Fernando Mendoza, who led the Hoosiers to an unbeaten national championship and Big Ten title double, winning the Heisman Trophy in the process.

Curt Cignetti Makes Josh Hoover-Fernando Mendoza Comparison

During an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde on Saturday, Cignetti compared the readiness of Hoover and Mendoza after spring and fall camp.

“Starting with the quarterback because he’s such a critical guy,” Cignetti said. “I think all those quarterbacks, and I even think back to the JMU ones, the one-year guys. About the same place coming out of spring, you could group them all together. There were improvements. There were some tough early days. There’s concerns, and then they have a great summer.

“They’re a different guy in fall camp. They build off their early season success, and they do great things. And so I would say that Josh is very much where Fernando or Curtis’ work was. They’re all a little bit different, yeah. But in terms of their developmental curve and process, about the same spot.”

Coming out of California, Mendoza was the No. 4-ranked quarterback and No. 20 overall transfer portal player in 2025. The influential quarterback was not among the preseason Heisman Trophy favorites until he started dominating opposition defenses every week.

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Mendoza ultimately distinguished himself as one of the country’s most impactful transfers, leading Indiana to the best PFN College Team Offense Impact score of 92.7.

Hoover is under extreme pressure to replicate Mendoza’s success in Bloomington, and during his interview with Forde, Cignetti compared the two quarterbacks’ characteristics.

“Josh innately really understands how to play quarterback,” Cignetti said. “I think he’s a super smart guy. The position comes very natural to him. You know, he’s got a quick release, and now Fernando’s 4 inches taller and 25 pounds heavier, and you know that’s the biggest difference right there.

“But you got a guy that understands how to play quarterback and has had a lot of good days.”

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Hoover redshirted his first season at TCU and served mostly as Chandler Morris’s backup in his second college football season. Hoover was a two-year starter for the Horned Frogs. By the end of his TCU career, he was No. 3 in passing yards and passing touchdowns and No. 4 in total offense yards and total touchdowns.

Last season, he earned a PFN College QB Impact score of 86.0 (No. 21 in college football). Hoover tallied 3,472 passing yards on 65.9% completion, 29 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, along with 2 rushing scores for the Horned Frogs.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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