As Indiana gears up for Monday night’s clash with the Miami Hurricanes, there’s more than just a championship on the line - there’s history in the making and a new era of Hoosiers football taking shape right before our eyes.
This season has already rewritten the script in Bloomington. What once felt like a basketball-first school is now home to a football program that’s not just competing - it’s thriving.
At the center of that transformation is Fernando Mendoza, Indiana’s Heisman-winning quarterback who’s become the face of the program’s rise. But just off to the side, watching closely and preparing for his own moment, is his younger brother, Alberto Mendoza.
Alberto has had a unique vantage point all season long - part younger brother, part quarterback-in-waiting, and full-time student of the game. And from his perspective, Fernando’s rise wasn’t about overnight success. It was about steady, relentless growth.
“I mean, obviously there’s going to be growing pains no matter where you go,” Alberto said. “But I don’t think there was ever really a struggle.
He was just improving. He cleaned up some things and took big jumps in the spring, the summer, and fall camp.
He made huge strides that really propelled him to achieve everything that he’s achieved.”
Those strides, according to Alberto, were rooted in one key area: trusting the pocket.
Fernando’s time at Cal, where he was one of the most frequently sacked quarterbacks in the country, left a mark. That experience forced him to evolve - to stay calm under pressure, to trust his protection, and to command the pocket with poise. And that evolution was visible as the season wore on, with Fernando looking more and more like a quarterback in total control.
“That really came from his time at Cal,” Alberto said. “He was one of the most sacked quarterbacks there, so that came with a little bit of trauma from getting hit so quickly.
Settling in the pocket became a big emphasis, and he really improved on that as the season went on. You can see it.”
While Fernando has been leading Indiana to unprecedented heights, Alberto has been quietly putting in the work behind the scenes - preparing for the moment when his number might be called. Whether it’s in the middle of a national title game or a routine rep in practice, he’s been ready.
“That’s why I just prepare every week,” he said. “We prepare together every single day. Just being side by side with him step by step gives me full confidence that I can go out there, whether it’s the Big Ten Championship, the Rose Bowl, the Peach Bowl, any single game, the National Championship, I have full confidence that I can go out there and do it.”
And come next season, that preparation could pay off in a big way.
Indiana’s quarterback room is about to get even more competitive. With the addition of Josh Hoover - a highly touted transfer and early favorite to start in 2026 - the battle for the starting job is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing storylines of the offseason. But if you think Alberto Mendoza is backing down, think again.
“Yeah, I think I’m prepared to take over the reins [for the] Indiana Hoosiers and I’ve taken strides,” he said. “If you ask my brother, he’ll tell you that I’m ready to go and ready to get after it.
So I think I’m ready to go and I’m excited for next year. It’s going to be a great year.
Another year with the Hoosiers.”
But before any of that unfolds, Indiana has a shot at something it’s never had: a national title. Monday night isn’t just a game - it’s a statement, a potential crowning moment for a program that’s been building toward this all season long.
And while Fernando Mendoza leads the charge under the lights, Alberto will be right there, helmet on, ready for whatever comes next - not just for his brother, but for himself, and for a Hoosiers program that’s no longer dreaming about the big stage. They’re on it.