Alberto's guidance helping Fernando Mendoza hit the ground running at Indiana

Fernando Mendoza didn’t need directions when he arrived in Bloomington. He didn’t need a tour of the facility or a crash course on the playbook. He already had one.

His younger brother, Alberto, had been sending him clips for weeks—cut-ups from practice, notes from meetings, and updates on how things ran under head coach Curt Cignetti.

So by the time Fernando made it official, transferring in from California, he wasn’t walking into the unknown. He was stepping into something he and Alberto had already started building.

“Having that playbook at home already—because Alberto was at my house when I committed, at my parents’ house, Fernando said. “In the off time, I started diving into the playbook before I arrived on campus.”

That kind of head start is rare. So is what they’re doing.

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It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t some long-orchestrated effort to reunite in the Big Ten. But here they are—two brothers, two quarterbacks, in the same room, trying to help Indiana football continue making history.

The Mendoza brothers have always been close. But now, they’re not just brothers.

They’re quarterbacks in the same room, wearing the same Indiana jersey, trying to win games together.

“We do everything together,” Fernando said. “We watch film together. We get better together. We have tough times together. He’s been a stepping stone to me learning the offense and my early steps here in spring ball. I can’t thank him enough.”

A redshirt junior who transferred from Cal, Fernando brings more than 4,700 career passing yards and 30 touchdowns with him.

He was one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the transfer portal. But ask him why he chose Indiana, and the answer doesn’t start with stats. It starts with family.

Alberto committed to Indiana out of high school, following Cignetti from James Madison when the head coach took over in Bloomington.

Fernando didn’t see this reunion coming. Life rarely works that neatly in college football. But sometimes, the path winds in just the right way.

Even during Indiana’s early spring practices, it’s clear how much Alberto has helped shape his older brother’s acclimation.

Between drills, after throws, during film sessions—Alberto is there, offering feedback, walking through reads, quietly guiding.

“My brother has been a tremendous resource,” Fernando said. “He’s out there dicing the defense up. I’m able to lean on him on certain plays—how the play moves, during and after the play. He gives me little keys you’d only get from experience.”

It’s not a one-sided mentorship either. They’re both learning, both pushing each other.

But it’s clear Fernando values having a trusted voice in his corner. It makes a huge difference when you’re stepping into a program that made the College Football Playoff last season.

Indiana, long a Big Ten afterthought, just had its best season in program history. Behind Kurtis Rourke, the Hoosiers lit up defenses, averaging more than 41 points per game and reaching the sport’s biggest stage.

Now, it’s Fernando’s turn to take the reins.

He knows the expectations. He knows who he’s following. But pressure? That doesn’t rattle him.

Not after what he’s been through—playing for three different offensive coordinators in as many years, weathering a 45-sack season at Cal and managing the constant churn of college football.

He’s also working to lead. Quarterback is about more than arm talent or reading defenses. It’s about presence. About making others believe in you. About making the hard parts look natural.

That’s something teammates have already seen from Mendoza.

“He was like the first guy I met on my visit,” offensive lineman Pat Coogan said. “He came to all the lunches with us. He was blowing up my phone. I see a ton of similarities between him and Riley Leonard. They’re gamers. They know how to get the job done.”

That belief is what drew Mendoza to Cignetti’s program in the first place—well, that and the results.

Cignetti has never had a losing season as a head coach. He turned Rourke into a star in just one year. And he runs a quarterback-friendly system that balances simplicity with layers of complexity.

“Football is all the same—everybody runs similar concepts,” Mendoza said. “What’s different is the terminology, the intricacies of the offense, the eye patterns through the progressions, and timing up the new footwork. There are a lot of variables to it, but I’m picking it up.”

One play it’s an RPO. The next, a deep shot off motion. Nothing looks the same twice, but it all stems from core concepts.

“There are so many shifts, motions, different RPOs and everything we run,” Mendoza said. “But when you learn the concepts, the ins and outs, the little intricacies of each play, you’re able to master it at a high level.”

Quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer has been a huge part of that process.

“He’s the best quarterback coach I’ve been around,” Mendoza said. “Extremely detailed and thorough, but makes everything digestible for the quarterback.”

At the end of the day, though, all the Xs and Os, all the route trees and blitz pickups—all of it fades into the bigger picture.

A kid from Miami, who grew up throwing with his brother, now gets to chase something bigger alongside him. Not just in spirit—on the same sideline, in the same meeting room.

Different is good. Change is good. And for the Mendoza brothers—two quarterbacks, one family, one program—it feels like this was meant to be.