Heisman Trophy winner makes expected decision.
It's been a whirlwind year for Fernando Mendoza few could have ever predicted. The Indiana quarterback delivered in every key moment en route to a Heisman Trophy and national championship as the. Everyone in America learned his name and what he's all about, which is being awesome while always winning and keeping his LinkedIn up to date.
Now he's taking the expected next step and declaring for the NFL draft, as revealed in a wholesome post on social media posted mere hours after"Coming to Indiana was a leap of faith," Mendoza says in the video. "A leap that led me to going 16-0 with my boys, a national championship and has now led me here. The moment where I get to dream bigger. Thank you to my family, the teammates who pushed me and the coaches who took a chance on me. It is only with your support and the glory of God that I am here today. With trust in my foundation and gratitude for every person that has helped me reach this moment I am ready to take the next step. My LinkedIn status is now "open to work" and I am officially declaring for the 2026 NFL draft." This, of course, is not a surprise. Mendoza did have one year of eligibility remaining but no one expected him to return to Bloomington to defend the Hoosiers' crown. Instead he'll likely be one of the first names off the board in the draft and be handed the reins of a franchise that desperately needs a franchise quarterback. Considering how he's met and excelled in every challenge that's come before, there's good reason to think he'll have plenty of other impressive things to add to his CV in coming years.Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros blog, and at Woven Digital.
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