When a player arrives via the transfer portal, especially when it’s a quarterback, fans hope that the program has gotten someone who can lead the team to new heights. And for the Indiana Hoosiers, that player is Fernando Mendoza. After proving his worth at the California Golden Bears, he’s now stepping into a place that was once held by Kurtis Rourke. But things are expected to be different this time for Indiana as well as Mendoza.

There will be a bit more weight on Mendoza’s shoulders than he was expecting. On paper, the star QB has everything. Standing at 6 feet 5 inches and weighing around 220 pounds, Mendoza has a huge frame, a strong arm, and, most importantly, the leadership that is required in a college football QB. But as JD Pickell of On3 recently said, the context has completely changed. “If you went and got a good player via the transfer portal and Fernando Mendoza, he should pick up where Kurtis Rourke left off, right? Well, yeah. I think Fernando Mendoza should be solid.” Pickell said.

As Pickell said, Mendoza has to pick up where Kurtis left off last season. But is it really going to be that easy for him? Well, the answer is no. “We’ve got to understand that this year’s schedule is not last year’s schedule. You play Illinois, at Iowa, at Oregon, and at Penn State. Four teams you did not play last year. Okay? So, understand that the task ahead of Fernando Mendoza is very different than the task that Kurtis Rourke had in front of him.”

Kurtis racked up 3,042 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and just five interceptions in an unforgettable season for the Hoosiers. But all those numbers were earned against teams that were not that strong. The former Indiana QB was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the 227th overall pick. He may not have faced stronger teams, but he has all those skills to become a star signal-caller in the NFL.

On the other hand, for Mendoza, the upcoming fall is going to be his third college football season. And he has a lot to prove, not just as Indiana’s new leader but as an individual, too. He must have the 2026 NFL draft in his mind, and for that, he has to do wonders for the Hoosiers.

Fernando Mendoza enters a bigger role with bigger expectations

Mendoza has walked into a much tougher schedule than Kurtis ever faced. Kurtis’ 2023 campaign didn’t include that kind of weekly brutality. Mendoza will have to prepare for the four dominant programs, and it’s definitely not going to be easy for him. But the star QB is known for taking challenges and bringing his team back into the tournament single-handedly.

We’ve all witnessed what he did in 2023 in California. After taking over from California’s starting quarterback, Sam Jackson V, in the middle of the 2023 season, Mendoza just turned around the former Pac-12 program, racking up 1,708 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in just eight games. Mendoza has learned a lot with the Golden Bears, and he himself recently revealed that it was really hard for him to leave the program.

“It was a very tough decision to leave Berkeley. I love the community there, the school, the Calgorithm—all great supporting factors of the Cal community—and the Berkeley, you know, education system was just splendid. So before I left, I needed to make sure that I got my degree, having such a prestigious degree at the Haas Business School, and that’s something that I’m working on right now to finish around the summertime at this point,” Mendoza said.

Indiana’s HC Curt Cignetti did wonders for the program last season, helping them get double-digit wins, and now that they have a young and talented QB on the roster, things are likely to get much better than ever. Turning potential into performance in the B1G will be no easy task, and Mendoza should realize this as soon as possible.