California transfer QB Fernando Mendoza commits to Indiana

California Golden Bears transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza is taking his talents Indiana, joining Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers via the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned.

Mendoza was a hot name in the portal after completing his third collegiate season, including a redshirt in his first year, at Cal. He has appeared in 20 games over the past two years with all but one of those being starts for the Golden Bears.

In those outings, Mendoza was 418-629 (66.5%) when passing for 4,712 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 191 yards and four more scores.

While missing the regular season finale due to an illness, Mendoza improved his stats across the board as he was 265-386 (68.7%) for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 105 yards and two scores too. That made him a leading passer in the ACC and a Top-20 to Top-30 passer in completions, attempts, completion rate, and passing yardage in the NCAA.

Mendoza, a Miami, Florida native, played high school football at Columbus. He was the No. 2,076 overall recruit there where he was a three-star prospect in the 2022 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also rated as a Top-150 QB and a Top-300 player out of Florida.

The decision to join Indiana amid interest from a bevy of other programs underscores the culture-shift for the Hoosiers under Curt Cignetti. They’ll be looking to keep up their impressive play next season, and prove 2024 wasn’t a fluke.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this article.