Indiana has found its successor to Kurtis Rourke at the quarterback position.
Per Tuesday reports, Cal quarterback transfer Fernando Mendoza has committed to Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers.
Mendoza commits to Indiana has one of the top available quarterbacks in the transfer portal class, he was ranked as a top five portal player, according to ESPN. He's now the ninth member of Indiana's transfer portal class, and the fourth player on the offensive side of the ball.
Mendoza has two years of eligibility remaining.
Mendoza is listed at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. He helped lead Cal to a 6-6 record this past season while throwing for 3,004 yards and 16 passing touchdowns to just just six interceptions. Completing 68.7% of his passes this year, Mendoza ranked second amongst ACC quarterbacks in completion percentage.
The soon-to-be junior signal caller threw for 300-plus yards on three different occasions last season, throwing for 275-plus yards seven times.
Following a 2023 campaign in which he threw for 1,708 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, Mendoza was a Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honorable mention.
The biggest issue for Mendoza last season is that he was sacked 41 times a season ago. Between poor offensive line play and sometimes holding onto the ball too longer, Mendoza faced constant pressure during this past year at Cal.
With Rourke running out of eligibility and Tayevn Jackson entering the transfer portal over the weekend, Indiana was in need of a quarterback, something Cignetti noted before the portal even opened.
Following Mendoza's commitment, the Hoosiers appear to have their guy at the most important position on the field for the next two seasons.
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