Where did Fernando Mendoza transfer to Indiana from?

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It's a Big Ten rematch for a spot in the national championship game on Friday night between Oregon and Indiana in the Peach Bowl CFP semifinal.

While it's not much of a surprise to see Oregon deep in the playoff, Indiana's presence as an unbeaten No. 1 seed certainly wasn't on many people's radars. Coach Curt Cignetti is leading the best season in program history, and a lot of that has to do with the quarterback.

Fernando Mendoza has quickly become a household name in college football, winning the Heisman Trophy for his efforts this season as he has led Indiana to a 14-0 start. Mendoza, who is also viewed as the likely first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, was the most notable of several offseason transfer portal acquisitions for the Hoosiers.

Before joining Cignetti and IU, the Miami native began his career at California, where he played for three seasons. Mendoza took over as the starting quarterback midway through his redshirt freshman season in 2023 with the Golden Bears, and he hasn't looked back.

Mendoza ultimately started 19 games in his time with the Golden Bears, throwing for more than 4,700 yards with 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He entered the transfer portal following the 2024 season, and he was viewed as one of the top available quarterbacks.

Now, Mendoza and Indiana are two wins away from winning the program's first national title in what has been the biggest storyline in college football this season.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Where did Indiana football QB Fernando Mendoza transfer from?

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