Since Lee Corso’s final appearance during the Texas vs. Ohio State opener, the Saturday mornings of College GameDay have felt weirdly quieter; after all, there is no more iconic promise of, “Not so fast, my friends.” Now, as Indiana Hoosiers prep for their first-ever National Championship appearance, fans held out a collective hope–a Corso cameo to bless his former team. But the “Headgear King” has put those rumors to rest.

In a heartfelt update shared by ESPN’s Jen Lada, Corso confirmed he will be cheering from his living room rather than being at the game. And the pride is palpable, given Corso served as IU’s head coach for 10 seasons, from 1973 to 1982, and helped shape one of the most important eras in program history. The 90-year legend even gushed about Fernando Mendoza, how the Hoosiers have come a long way since their Holiday Bowl win 47 years ago. 

Corso truly has every reason to be fired up about this team. He’s always been unapologetically passionate about Indiana. One of his most legendary moments came back in 1976 against Ohio State. After the Hoosiers scored early to take a 7–6 lead in the second quarter, Corso actually called a timeout just so his team could pose for a photo with the scoreboard. It was reportedly the first time Indiana had led Ohio State in 25 years.

Corso’s breakthrough came in the 1979 Holiday Bowl, when Indiana stunned previously unbeaten BYU with a thrilling 38–37 win. That victory delivered the Hoosiers their first-ever bowl win and pushed them to a No. 16 ranking in the final national poll. Over his tenure, Corso finished with a 41–68–2 record, making him the third-winningest coach in Indiana football history. In 2010, the university honored his impact by inducting him into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame.

He has never shied away from talking about how much Bloomington meant to him. “We spent 10 years there, and we raised our kids there, and I loved every minute of it,” he once said. He has often praised IU fans, saying they “never gave me much grief” and always showed support. When College GameDay rolled into Bloomington in 2024, the city even declared it “Coach Lee Corso Day.”

That visit turned into an emotional celebration of his 1979 Holiday Bowl team, with many old players in attendance. Even after stepping away from his official GameDay role, Corso still found ways to show his love. He popped up on social media to pick Indiana in the Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue. He legit wore the new “Hoosier the Bison” mascot head and shouted, “Go IU, beat Purdue!”

The love is very much still there. The only thing holding Corso back now is time and travel. At 90 years old, making a nearly 300-mile trip just isn’t easy anymore.

Fernando Mendoza takes his seat among the big boys

Lee Corso’s love for Fernando Mendoza didn’t come out of nowhere. The Indiana quarterback has flat-out made history this season after transferring in from Cal, turning heads across the college football world. At just 22, Mendoza has pushed himself into serious conversations about the best single-season quarterback performances of the 21st century. And that’s no small praise.

The numbers alone tell a big part of the story. Mendoza finished the season a perfect 15–0, completed 73.0% of his passes, threw for 3,349 yards with 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions, and added 284 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground. That’s elite production by any standard. Still, when stacked up against all-time greats, he falls just short of the very top tier.

Joe Burrow’s legendary 2019 season at LSU contributed 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, and a 76.3% completion rate. Dual-threat athletes like Tim Tebow in 2007 and Cam Newton in 2010 also rank higher. On the other hand, Marcus Mariota’s 2014 and Kyler Murray’s 2018 seasons edge Mendoza out with eye-popping totals. Jameis Winston’s 2013 campaign also boasts bigger numbers. But context matters, and that’s where Mendoza closes the gap.

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Unlike many of those names, Mendoza didn’t step into a solid roster. He took over a program that was just trailing behind for national relevance and helped turn it into a national title contender under Curt Cignetti’s rebuild. He dominated so consistently that blowout wins actually limited his stat padding, yet he still walked away with the Heisman Trophy. That alone speaks volumes.

Right now, Mendoza likely sits somewhere in the 8–12 range among the best single-season QB performances of this century. But if he caps this run with a national championship? That number could climb fast.