Joe Burrow knows the Fernando Mendoza story better than most.
At Fanatics Fest inside New York City’s Javits Center, the Bengals quarterback weighed in on Mendoza’s rise during a Heisman Trophy panel, and he did it with the kind of perspective that only comes from living through the same kind of spotlight. Mendoza just finished a season that put him in rare company: he led Indiana to an undefeated national championship, won the Heisman Trophy, and then went No. 1 in the 2026 NFL Draft. In the common draft era, only Burrow and Cam Newton had done all three in back-to-back years.
Burrow was quick to point to the changing shape of college football as a big reason Indiana was able to build around Mendoza the way it did.
“He was a lot of fun to watch,” Burrow said. “I think the NIL era is interesting because teams like Indiana, who maybe couldn’t get the recruits 10 years ago, now can get the types of players where they can go and compete for championships.”
Mendoza’s path to that season started at Cal, where he spent three years before transferring to Indiana. Once he got there, everything clicked.
In his only year with the Hoosiers, he completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns. Indiana finished undefeated, captured its first national championship, and Mendoza became the first Heisman winner in school history.
Burrow said the broader effect of that kind of roster-building is a college game with more balance across the board.
“That creates a lot of parity throughout college football, and I think that’s good for the game,” Burrow said. “There are a lot of downsides to it as well, but it was fun to see a team like Indiana go and make it happen. Obviously, Fernando was the main part of that.”
Now Mendoza is stepping into the next pressure-packed job: trying to help turn around the Las Vegas Raiders, much like Burrow did with the Bengals. And Burrow thinks the rookie has the traits to handle what comes with being the first pick.
“The quarterback has the ball in their hands a lot,” Burrow said. “It’s a team game, but the quarterback drives that for us.
He seems to be a great leader. He seems to be a great player, and I’m excited to see what he does in the NFL as well.”
Burrow knows the expectations that land on a No. 1 quarterback immediately. From the sound of it, he believes Mendoza is built for it.
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