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Max Olson, ESPN Staff Writer
Cal transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza has committed to Indiana, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound redshirt sophomore was one of the most coveted quarterbacks available in the transfer portal and committed to the Hoosiers on Tuesday.
Coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers were seeking a proven successor to sixth-year senior starter Kurtis Rourke following their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Mendoza is the No. 3 quarterback in ESPN’s transfer rankings and has two more seasons of eligibility. He chose the Hoosiers after also taking visits to Georgia and Missouri.
This season, Mendoza was the third-leading passer in the ACC with 3,004 passing yards and accounted for 18 total touchdowns with six interceptions over 11 games. He led the Bears to six wins and a bowl game in their first season as a member of the ACC.
The former three-star recruit from Miami moved into the starting lineup last year during his redshirt freshman campaign and started 19 games at Cal over the past two seasons. Among Power 4 starters, Mendoza was a top-10 passer this season in yards per game (273.1) and completion percentage (69%) despite being sacked 41 times, the most among FBS quarterbacks.
Mendoza put together several memorable performances in his second year as Cal’s starter. He threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 road win at Auburn in nonconference play and had 285 passing yards and two scores in the Bears’ 39-38 loss to then-No. 8 Miami. He also led a comeback and a 98-yard winning touchdown drive for a 24-21 victory over rival Stanford in his final game with the Bears.
His younger brother, Alberto Mendoza, is a freshman backup quarterback for the Hoosiers, a connection that proved to be a key factor as Fernando Mendoza decided whether to transfer ahead of his junior season.
He’ll take over next year for Rourke after the graduate transfer from Ohio thrived in his lone season in Bloomington. Rourke earned second-team All-Big Ten honors earlier this week and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting. He produced 3,042 passing yards with 31 total touchdowns and five interceptions over 12 games.
Indiana earned the No. 10 seed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and lost 27-17 to No. 7 Notre Dame on Friday.
Cignetti led a stunning turnaround from 3-9 to 11-2 in his first season leading the program and earned Home Depot Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year honors this week.
Indiana’s rapid turnaround was powered by a transfer-heavy roster rebuild, with 30 newcomers joining the program via the portal including 13 from James Madison, Cignetti’s former school. The Hoosiers have nine transfer commits and are expected to once again heavily recruit the portal to reload.