Curt Cignetti had a choice at quarterback this offseason, and through four weeks, the path he took looks pretty sharp.
Indiana could have turned the offense over to Alberto Mendoza, who spent last season backing up his brother in Bloomington. Instead, Cignetti went into the transfer portal and brought in TCU quarterback Josh Hoover. That move has put Indiana in a far better spot early in 2026, while Mendoza’s own jump to Georgia Tech has gotten off to a rough start.
Cignetti’s quarterback résumé is hard to ignore. At James Madison, he guided Ben DiNucci and Cole Johnson to CAA Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2019 and 2021, Todd Centeio to Sun Belt Player of the Year honors in 2022, and Jordan McCloud to Sun Belt Player of the Year recognition in 2023. After arriving in Bloomington, he helped Kurtis Rourke earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2024, then coached Fernando Mendoza to the Heisman Trophy in 2025 while also leading the Hoosiers to a historic National Championship.
Alberto Mendoza, meanwhile, transferred to Georgia Tech after Hoover arrived at Indiana and won the starting job for the Yellow Jackets. He finally got a chance to play regularly, but the results have been uneven. Georgia Tech is 1-3, with its only win coming against Mercer.
The numbers are respectable on the surface. Mendoza has completed 68.3% of his passes for 975 yards and 6 touchdowns.
But 3 of those scores came against Mercer. Remove that game, and he has as many touchdowns as interceptions, with 3 apiece against Colorado, Tennessee, and Stanford.
He has shown flashes, but the mistakes have been costly.
Tennessee gets the pick-six off Alberto Mendoza 😮 pic.twitter.com/JL2QF4RHey
- ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 13, 2026
Last season at Indiana, Mendoza did look capable when he got on the field. He finished 18 of 24 for 286 yards, 5 touchdowns and one interception, and he added 190 rushing yards and a score.
But that production came in garbage time with IU already well ahead, often against weaker opponents. Brent Key brought him to Georgia Tech to be the starter, and so far that bet has not paid off the way he wanted.
Alberto Mendoza pic.twitter.com/1xfMYkAKcW
- Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) September 27, 2026
Hoover has given Indiana exactly what it was hoping for. Through four games, he has completed 56 of 80 passes, an 80% clip, for 850 yards and 11 touchdowns without an interception. That clean start stands out even more because he led the Big 12 with 13 interceptions last season.
For now, Indiana’s quarterback decision looks like another Cignetti win. The Hoosiers have a passer who is protecting the football and producing at a high level, and history says that under Cignetti, the position tends to keep getting better as the season goes on.
In Other News...
Indiana Is In The Hunt For A Massive DeVries Recruiting Win
Indiana is in the thick of a major recruiting battle for one of the top big men in the 2027 class, as five-star center Darius Wabbington has trimmed his list to the Hoosiers, Illinois and Arizona. Wabbington has already taken official visits to all three programs, giving each staff a chance to make its pitch to a highly regarded center who would be a major get for whichever school lands him.
The process is still far from over, though, and that is what keeps this one in play for Mike Woodson's successor and the Hoosiers' next recruiting push. Wabbington also has other visits lined up later this fall, so Indiana has already made the cut but still has more work to do before this race starts to close. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Gave USC A Real Fight And Indiana Fans Should Notice
Rutgers opened its 2026 season with a loss to UMass and still sits at 1-3, but the Scarlet Knights have shown enough fight in recent weeks to make people pay attention. Against Boston College and then USC, Rutgers was competitive in ways that matter for teams around the Big Ten, with quarterback Dylan Lonergan, running back Antwan Raymond and wide receiver KJ Duff each helping keep the offense moving.
For Indiana fans, the bigger takeaway is less about Rutgers record and more about the style of game it brought to USC. The detailed breakdown of that matchup showed the Scarlet Knights finding answers on offense and making the Trojans work for everything, which is the sort of performance that can travel in conference play. Even if the final result still leaves Rutgers in a hole, the recent stretch suggests this is not a group opponents can afford to take lightly. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Have A New Recruiting Weekend To Obsess Over
The recruiting calendar is already giving Indiana fans another reason to keep one eye on the scoreboard and the other on the travel schedule. Chase Branham, the future Hoosiers guard, is in Las Vegas this week for the Wootten 150 basketball camp, while several other top Indiana targets are spread across the Border League event, where a number of highly regarded prospects with Hoosiers offers are also competing.
For Indiana, the appeal is obvious: these fall runs offer a fresh look at players the staff is still sorting through, and a chance to watch them in a setting packed with talent. Darius Wabbington, who has already taken an official visit to Bloomington, is among the names to keep tracking as he works through his college options, which gives this weekend a little extra weight for a fan base that has been waiting for the next recruiting wave to take shape. [Read more 🡒]