Fernando Mendoza arrived in Bloomington as a proven Power 4 quarterback, after transferring over from California. The 6-foot-5 and 225-pound redshirt junior was 265-of-386 (68.7%) passing for 3,004 yards, with 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 2024. He rushed for 105yards and two scores on the ground as well.
Expectations were high coming into the season as Indiana led by head coach Curt Cignetti had a historic season. Indiana finished the season with an11-2 record, including an 8-1 record in the Big Ten Conference that included a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Those high expectations also included replacing quarterback Kurtis Rourke who finished ninth overall in last year's Heisman Trophy voting.