Fernando Mendoza just wrapped up a season for the ages - one that Indiana fans will be talking about for a long, long time.
After transferring from Cal, Mendoza didn’t just settle into a new system - he took it over. He elevated his game to the pinnacle of college football, capturing the Heisman Trophy and then guiding the Hoosiers through a flawless three-game run in the College Football Playoff to secure the program’s first-ever national championship. For a school that’s never been part of the elite college football conversation, Mendoza didn’t just change the narrative - he rewrote it.
Now, with his college career officially in the books, Mendoza is staring down the possibility of making even more history - this time at the next level. He’s widely projected to be the top overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, with the Las Vegas Raiders currently in line to call his name first. If that happens, Mendoza will find himself in some incredibly rare company.
Heisman, National Title, and No. 1 Pick? That’s Rare Air
Only two players in college football history have pulled off the trifecta in a single season: winning the Heisman Trophy, leading their team to a national championship, and then going No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. That exclusive club includes:
- Joe Burrow (LSU → Cincinnati Bengals, 2019-2020)
- Cam Newton (Auburn → Carolina Panthers, 2010-2011)
If Mendoza is indeed selected first overall, he’ll become just the third player ever to accomplish all three feats in the same year - a testament not just to his talent, but to his consistency and leadership under the brightest lights.
There are others who’ve checked all three boxes, but not in the same season. Jameis Winston, for example, won the Heisman and a national title in 2013, but wasn’t drafted No. 1 until over a year later.
O.J. Simpson and Marcus Allen also won both the Heisman and a national championship, but in different years.
Mendoza Joins an Elite Heisman-Championship Club
With Indiana’s title win, Mendoza becomes the 18th player in history to win the Heisman Trophy and a national championship in the same season. He’s the first to do it since DeVonta Smith pulled it off with Alabama in 2020, and just the eighth player since 2000 to accomplish the feat.
Here’s a look at some of the other notable names on that list:
- Joe Burrow (2019, LSU)
- Cam Newton (2010, Auburn)
- Jameis Winston (2013, Florida State)
- Derrick Henry (2015, Alabama)
- Mark Ingram (2009, Alabama)
- Matt Leinart (2004, USC)
- Charles Woodson (1997, Michigan)
It’s a list that spans decades and includes legends at nearly every position - from quarterbacks to running backs to even a cornerback in Woodson’s case. Mendoza now joins that elite fraternity, and he’s the first to do it wearing Indiana crimson.
Heisman Winners and the No. 1 Pick
Since the Heisman Trophy debuted in 1935, 25 players have gone on to be selected first overall in the NFL Draft. That list includes recent names like Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, and Kyler Murray, as well as past stars like Baker Mayfield, Cam Newton, and Joe Burrow.
If Mendoza is taken No. 1 by the Raiders, he’ll become the 26th Heisman winner to be selected first overall. And considering the kind of season he just had - dominating from start to finish and delivering in the biggest moments - it would be hard to argue he doesn’t belong in that spot.
What Mendoza has done this season is nothing short of remarkable. From transferring schools to winning the Heisman, from leading a long-overlooked program to a national title to potentially hearing his name called first on draft night - it’s the kind of rise that doesn’t happen often. But when it does, it leaves a mark on the sport.
And if the Raiders do make him their guy in April, Mendoza won’t just be a storybook college quarterback - he’ll be part of football history.