Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been part of one of the greatest turnaround stories in the history of college football. He has snagged the Heisman and the Natty, but he is always crediting God for the assists. With this, the Indiana campus is creating a ripple of spiritual momentum.

“Indiana University Chaplain Father Patrick Hyde, whose chaplain team has been contacted by 148 students interested in becoming Catholic, predicts that this year will very likely see a record number of conversions to Catholicism,” reported Catholic journalist Sachin Jose on X.

Moments after delivering Indiana its first national championship, Mendoza took the field at Hard Rock Stadium for an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

“First, I want to give all the glory to God,” he said.

Mendoza gave “all the glory to God” as he told the story of a two-star recruit who was denied a walk-on opportunity at Miami. 

“The only reason I’ve gotten to this point is that there are so many different people helping me in my journey, and (the Saint Paul priests) have been one,” Mendoza told Sports Illustrated. “They’ve done so much to help me, whether it’s confession or just to be able to talk or just Mass every Sunday.”

Since enrolling at Indiana last winter, Mendoza has made Saint Paul his spiritual home. After lifting the Heisman, he promised to bring the trophy back to the priests, who had become a constant presence in his life. Along with teammate Charlie Becker, Mendoza attends Mass regularly, joins Friday prayer sessions before home games, and has shared breakfast with Father Ben Keller.

“Are you available? I’d like to bring over the Heisman,” Father Patrick Hyde of Saint Paul Church received the text message from the Indiana quarterback on Christmas Eve. 

From the Big Ten championship to the Rose Bowl, the Peach Bowl, and all the way to Monday’s national title showdown against Miami, Hyde and Keller have been constants on Indiana’s postseason tour. 

While Mendoza’s influence is palpable, he’s amplifying a spiritual shift already underway at IU. Father Hyde, who arrived in 2016, has seen firsthand a nationwide trend of growing campus faith. Newman Ministry, a Catholic nonprofit active on roughly 250 campuses, surveyed campus ministry leaders this year, and every single one reported larger Mass crowds and faces they hadn’t seen before.

As Mendoza shines on the field, his faith-first approach is sparking a wider movement at Indiana. Mendoza’s public display of faith is not an isolated event in college football. Before him, former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard thanked the Lord and Jesus Christ in the 2025 Rose Bowl. College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit also praised the two players for their community work.

“Ohio State two years ago had some big leaders at the top of their run to a national championship that were very instrumental and even on campus proclaiming their faith and talking about it,” Kirk Herbstreit said.

Faith guided Mendoza through college football, and now his next leap is coming into focus.

Fernando Mendoza’s NFL future is just beginning

With Mendoza picking up buzz as the No. 1 pick, EssentiallySports’ Luke Hubbard predicts the Indiana quarterback to land with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are uniquely positioned to build an empire around Mendoza. With nine draft picks and $92 million in cap space, the front office has plenty of resources to quickly build a talented team around him. It’s a true advantage that many top picks dream of.

While Las Vegas holds the top pick, the New York Jets are at No. 2. Analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on The Rich Eisen Show that the Jets would give up just about everything for the chance at a franchise-changing quarterback.

Landing in New York could be a nightmare for Fernando Mendoza. The Jets have gambled on four top-40 quarterbacks in the last two decades, and none of them lived up to the hype. 

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Whether he lands in the desert with the Raiders or the media crucible of New York, Mendoza’s biggest challenge won’t just be reading NFL defenses. It will be maintaining the very faith that propelled him onto this stage, a journey that has already inspired a movement far beyond the football field.