Indiana’s perfect 14-0 run rides on Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, whose 2026 NFL draft move is sending chills down the team. But all scares vanished as Curt Cignetti’s team smacked TCU’s star quarterback, solidifying their roster’s most critical spot.

Indiana’s rookie quarterback room with Alberto Mendoza and Maverick Geske finally gets a veteran backing as Curt Cignetti adds Josh Hoover to the team. This becomes a full-circle moment in Hoover’s career, as he was once committed to Indiana under former coach Tom Allen, and now he returns to finish his college career where it nearly began.

The Texas native arrives in Bloomington with an elite résumé after spending three seasons at TCU. He recorded 9,629 career passing yards and 71 touchdowns. Hoover threw for 3,475 yards and 29 touchdowns and added two rushing scores in the 2025 season alone. With that, he is already a favorite to land the starting job, as his consistency over multiple seasons adds more to it.

On top of it, he fits seamlessly into Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan’s system. While he is not a run-first quarterback, he moves well in the pocket and brings extensive experience running an RPO-based offense. That familiarity should allow him to adapt quickly to Indiana’s system.

Now, replacing a Heisman winner, Fernando Mendoza, won’t be that straightforward for Hoover. But knowing Cignetti’s history of developing transfer quarterbacks into stars, Hoover’s transition won’t be that tough. In the 2024 season, he got Kurtis Rourke into the team, who led them to the playoffs, and then Mendoza came in from Cal and won the Big 10 title against Ohio State and will play Oregon in the semifinals on Friday. So, now you know why Hoover trusted Indiana.

Before Indiana last season, even Tennessee was eyeing him big time. That’s exactly why TCU gave Jim a raise last spring so that he stays close to the team. But this time, they couldn’t compete with Indiana, as Cignetti plays his players big, though the exact number of their offer is not known. For now Hoover makes around $2 million.

On top of it, Indiana also got former Michigan State receiver Nick Marsh into the team, which can be an added advantage for Hoover. As he gets a reliable hand before entering next season. Marsh also brings in a solid resume, recording 100 receptions for 1,311 yards and nine TD receptions in his two seasons with the Spartans, and he even broke the program’s record for a freshman with 41 catches and 649 yards in the 2024 season.

But even TCU responded fast to this sudden move.

TCU responds back on Indiana’s QB move

After Josh Hoover’s move to Indiana, the Horned Frogs didn’t wait for long to tackle their quarterback situation. As they added Harvard Crimson’s former quarterback Jaden Craig to the team.

Craig brings in an impressive resume, backing the leading Harvard single-season history with 208 completions, 25 touchdown passes, and 2,869 passing yards in the 2025 season. He led Crimson to their first-ever appearance in the FCS playoffs. He even helped them to gain three consecutive Ivy co-championships, earning All-Ivy honors in 2024.

On top of it, he was also the finalist for the Walter Payton Award for top offensive player in FCS and was also gaining massive NFL top-round pick buzz before declaring to enter the portal. What’s interesting is that Craig was once considered as Carson Beck’s replacement in Miami, so you know why TCU took him in.

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But here comes the concerning part: even with Hoover’s move to Indiana, there’s no certainty that Craig will take the QB1 position, as TCU still has veteran player Ken Seals on the team, which can be a bit concerning for him. So, now let’s wait and see if Craig brings in his Ivy League dominance into college football or not!