Curt Cignetti recalls first meeting with ‘Extremely intelligent’ Fernando Mendoza

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Fernando Mendoza committed to join head coach Curt Cignetti’s Indiana football program on Christmas Eve of 2024. Just over one year and an extra month later, the two won the Hoosiers’ first national championship in program history.

Cignetti, who recruited and signed Mendoza’s younger brother Alberto during his time at James Madison, recalled meeting Fernando for the first time during an interview with the Heisman Trophy Trust.

“Extremely intelligent,” Cignetti said of Mendoza. “I mean, he can go really deep on a lot of different subjects, he’s got a lot of facets to his personality.”

Cignetti had gotten to know Mendoza’s family during his brother’s recruitment and first season at Indiana in 2024, occasionally hearing about Fernando. He knew the older Mendoza brother was a nice guy who could occasionally come off as a bit of a geek, but one thing he didn’t know was how much of a competitor he was.

“Boy, I tell you what, that guy was a lion,” Cignetti said. “Ferocious competitor. Take a hit, jump back up, lay it on the line. And really respected by his teammates because of the way he competed and the way he prepared and the way he treated his teammates.”

Listen to the full interview here.

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