Fernando Mendoza has all the hype going for him right now. A front-runner in Heisman conversations, a top draft prospect- you name it, and it’s probably getting attached to Indiana’s QB1. His on-field performances every week not only justify the hype but also increase it. What makes him special? His arm talent, vision, or his game knowledge? Urban Meyer has an answer.

In Week 12, the 22-year-old QB led the Hoosiers in a demolition job of Wisconsin. Indiana is on a bye this week, and Mendoza has been doing the media rounds. He appeared on the November 19 episode of the Triple Option podcast with Urban Meyer, Rob Stone, and Mark Ingram II. The former Ohio State head coach couldn’t stop himself from praising Mendoza. While doing so, he drew an interesting comparison to the GOAT. Meyer shared a tale about Tom Brady tearing teammates “in shorts and a helmet” during a two-minute drill. Meyer then recognized the same quality in him.

“It was the competitive atmosphere created not by Belichick but by Tom Brady,” Meyer said. “And that’s the number one quality that I see with your team. You throw a nice bender out. I know a lot of people do that. But your team is so competitive and that’s why I coached against that sucker sitting to your right there or left, Ingram. What made him a great player, a competitive n-t job. So that’s the number one quality all great players have: competitors.”

And then came the line from Ingram that could make any NFL evaluator cheer up, “I’m sending this to the to the scouts, man. This dude,  whenever you go to the combine, whether it’s next year or the year after, they going to love you, dog.” Now that’s a competitive edge. That’s the trait that travels to the next level.

What’s crazy? Mendoza didn’t break stride. He didn’t allow the NFL chatter to scare him, nor did he soak in the praise. He stressed the same attitude that Urban had praised: keep grounded and stay hungry.

Mendoza practically dismissed the Heisman chatter as background noise, saying, “All my focus right now is on Purdue and then if we beat Purdue then we go to the Big 10 championship then it be the Big 10 championship and then I want to get too ahead of myself but then we’d be able to get into the dance and so that’s really all my focus on is you know doing the most I could do to become the best Fernando Mendoza quarterback. So my thing is to really just enjoy the present moment be the best for those that I can become in the present moment.”

And right now? Fernando Mendoza looks like he’s doing exactly that. And as the hype grows louder, Mendoza’s own words finally reveal why Indiana was the only place that ever made sense.

Fernando Mendoza on choosing Indiana

Fernando Mendoza didn’t travel to Indiana in search of flash and fame. He came because a coach looked him in the eye and assured him that he would become the best version of himself, something that no powerhouse program could match. The Hoosiers star is now finally explaining why he rejected Georgia, Miami, and a number of blue-blood colleges begging for his commitment in the transfer portal, as the hashtag “#HeisMendoza” echoes around the college football world.

“Yeah, I would say you hit the nail right on the head.” Fernando Mendoza said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Indiana and Coach Cignitti really sold me on becoming the best Fernando Mendoza possible. And also, I have my little brother here, Alberto Mendoza. I was able to get the good, the bad, and the ugly of the situation.”

The pitch that sealed the deal wasn’t about NIL or depth charts or championship lineage. Mendoza recalled the conversation with Cignetti that changed everything: “Hey, I don’t know exactly, I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know what’s going to happen with this season, but I promise you, you’re going to be the best Fernando Mendoza quarterback that you can become.”

That message was deeper than anything he had heard from other giants. Georgia had the trophies. Miami had a home. Others had louder brands. But Cignetti had a strategy and a history that Mendoza could personally observe through Alberto, his younger brother. “I was able to get the good, the bad, and the ugly of the situation,” Mendoza said. “And with the way I saw Alberto develop… I said, ‘Let’s go. I’m ready to be a Hoosier.” Now he’s repaying that belief with an undefeated season and a Heisman campaign Indiana fans still can’t believe is real.