- Mendoza is getting excellent protection up front: His offensive line has yet to be charged with a sack or hit in pass protection, which has led to his 15 passing touchdowns with no interceptions and just one turnover-worthy play.
- Mendoza is the most accurate quarterback in the country in 2025: His 83.2% adjusted completion percentage through four games is the highest mark in college football.
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Indiana’s first test of the season wasn’t much of a test at all. The Hoosiers blew out Big Ten rival Illinois 63-10, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who transferred to Indiana this spring after spending his first two college seasons at Cal, led the way by completing 21 of 23 passes for five touchdowns, no interceptions and a 154.6 passer rating — his third week in a row of surpassing 140.0.
The 16th-ranked prospect on the PFF Big Board, Mendoza, at least on the surface, appears to be living up to expectations. Through the first month of the season, his 90.0 PFF passing grade ranks fourth in the country among quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks, and his 83.2% adjusted completion percentage leads college football. He has already posted 14 passing touchdowns (including three straight games with at least four) and has yet to throw an interception (he does have one turnover-worthy play).
While the surface numbers are fantastic, the reality is that Mendoza has yet to be challenged. His three big-time throws at this stage are just the 66th most nationally, as he simply hasn’t been asked to make many difficult intermediate or deep passes into tight coverage. His offensive line has also kept his jersey pristine, as they’ve yet to be charged with a sack or hit with only 14 pressures allowed on the season.
In 2024 at Cal, Mendoza was under far more pressure than he’s seen to date at Indiana — and he was far more turnover-prone, too. PFF tabbed him for 17 turnover-worthy plays last season. Three of those plays were fumbles, while 12 of the 14 throws deemed turnover-worthy were either forced or predetermined to his primary target.
One other area of concern from his 2024 film was his propensity to drift in the pocket and create his own pressure. His 26 charged pressures last season put him tied for the fifth most in the country among 2026 draft-eligible quarterbacks (and tied for 11th overall). That isn't a concern so far in 2025, but it's worth monitoring as the season progresses into the conference schedule.
While Illinois should have been the Hoosiers' first trial of the season, the Fighting Illini's inability to consistently pressure Mendoza, combined with their man-heavy coverage scheme (51.2% of snaps in Cover 1 or Cover 0 this season), likely made it very easy for him to quickly diagnose at the line of scrimmage.
Week 5's matchup with Iowa should provide more challenges, as the Hawkeyes run a far more balanced mix of coverages and are likely to give Mendoza more of the zone looks that troubled him in prior seasons. Future showdowns against Oregon and Ohio State are likely to produce similar tests for Mendoza.
Iowa's Secondary
Beyond the numbers, Mendoza flashes several intriguing traits that bode well for his NFL prospects. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, he has prototypical next-level size. And while no one is going to accuse him of being the next Lamar Jackson, he does flash some ability to pick up conversions with his feet, largely due to his decisiveness once he sees an open lane to attack.
Bigger quarterbacks often have an elongated delivery, but Mendoza has the compact release the NFL level demands. While he doesn’t possess an elite arm, he can put zip on the ball to beat coverage, and his ability to layer throws allows him to be accurate to all parts of the field.
September has largely been a disappointing month for quarterback prospects expected to be selected toward the top of the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza is on an excellent trajectory compared to those players, but his evaluation to this point is clearly incomplete. The pieces appear to be there, but he’s yet to experience much adversity and needs to show growth in terms of reading defenses, going through progressions and making correct decisions once plays break down.
With several huge games approaching, Mendoza can lay claim to being one of the top available prospects at his position come next April — or set himself up for a big 2026 campaign if he decides to use another year of college eligibility.
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