Fernando Mendoza’s time with the Hoosiers has been nothing short of spectacular. He has thrown for 1,208 yards with an impressive 73% completion rate through five games, which ranks him in the top 10 nationally. His performance against Illinois, in which he completed 21 of 23 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns, solidified his status as a Heisman contender. But a breakout season like this raises major questions about his time at Cal and what went wrong.

“It’s been a fantastic journey that I’m so grateful to be on,” Mendoza said on the ESPN college football show. “I love Berkeley, but I had three different offensive coordinators in 3 years and wanted some continuity.” From 2022 to 2024, he went through three different offensive coordinators at Cal. Bill Musgrave, Jake Spavital, and Mike Bloesch. This revolving door of leadership meant Mendoza never had a consistent system to learn or master. A situation like that can seriously hinder a quarterback’s development.

Each coordinator will have their own new scheme and expectations. That forced Mendoza to tweak his system without the benefit of continuity. Plus, the constant carousel became a hindrance to his NFL dreams. “I wanted to be in a system that I think would translate really well to the next level,” Mendoza told ESPN in an interview before the season. Plus, the Golden Bears’ offense struggled consistently. In 2022, the Bears struggled to protect quarterbacks, leading to a staggering 31 sacks. That O-line weakness completely made the run game ineffective, making RBs like Jayden OTT find success.

The 2023 season didn’t bring much relief. The Bears ranked 8th in the Pac-12 in yards per play, revealing how much ground they lost in competitive games. The turnover issues persisted, as the Golden Bears had 28 turnovers lost. In 2024, the team finished with an average of just 25.0 points per game. They ranked 104th out of 134 FBS teams in the nation. The Bears played the last part of the season with Mendoza stepping up from his backup role as Chandler Rogers went out with an injury.

The constant coaching changes made it really difficult for Mendoza to find momentum. The difference is pretty glaring. Last season, he racked up 3,004 yards, completed nearly 69% of his passes, and tossed 16 touchdowns. Now with just 5 games this season, Mendoza has racked up the same number of TDs but with a better completion rate. This happened because Curt Cignetti strategically evolves his offense to fit the quarterback’s strengths. He fine-tunes the Hoosiers’ playbook around Mendoza’s lethal arm and his ability to dissect defenses with precision.

The Tom Brady dream

Curt Cignetti’s impression of his star QB, Fernando Mendoza, just keeps on getting better. And now the Hoosiers’ HC reveals a crispy intel on that pretty much sums up Mendoza’s mindset. “I’ve never been around a guy… He wants to be great at a young age,” Curt Cignetti revealed on CBS Sports. “He told his dad he wanted to be the next Tom Brady. If there were 25 hours in the day, he’d spend all 25 preparing to be great… he’s a special guy.”

That’s right, Fernando Mendoza, at a young age, set his sights on chasing greatness. That intense desire to improve has been on full display since Mendoza transferred from Cal. Sure, he showed he did his part sincerely with the Golden Bears, but here at Indiana, he truly learned to evolve. The major improvements were made in his pocket footwork, staying calm under pressure, and processing the defense faster. Indiana focused on those details.

Since joining the Hoosiers, Mendoza has made remarkable strides. Cignetti even pointed out that progress, saying, “He’s made tremendous improvement since he’s been here.” On top of that, his rushing abilities are also being highlighted with Indiana. Mendoza rushed 30 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns. His dual-threat ability keeps defenses guessing.