Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who gained the Heisman Trophy and led the No. 1 Hoosiers to their first nationwide championship this previous season, is forgoing his last faculty season and getting into the NFL draft, he introduced on social media Friday.
Mendoza is an amazing favourite to be the No. 1 decide within the NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Let’s get to work,” Mendoza wrote on his Instagram account. “I am humbled to announce that I’m formally declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft!”
Raiders majority proprietor Mark Davis, minority proprietor Tom Brady and common supervisor John Spytek had been on Indiana’s sideline earlier than the No. 1 Hoosiers’ 27-21 victory towards No. 10 Miami within the CFP Nationwide Championship Offered by AT&T at Onerous Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Monday.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was additionally thought-about a possible No. 1 decide, however he opted to return to the Geese for another faculty season.
Mendoza spent two seasons at Cal earlier than transferring to Indiana, the place he accomplished 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards with an FBS-leading 41 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He additionally ran for 276 yards with seven scores.
In Monday evening’s victory towards the Hurricanes, Mendoza threw for 186 yards and scored on a memorable 12-yard run that put the Hoosiers up by 10 factors within the fourth quarter.
The Hoosiers grew to become solely the second workforce in historical past to complete 16-0 and the primary within the fashionable period, becoming a member of Yale in 1894.
If the Raiders choose Mendoza first within the draft, which will probably be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, he would grow to be solely the third participant to win the Heisman Trophy and a nationwide championship and grow to be the No. 1 decide within the draft in the identical 12-month window.
Joe Burrow was the No. 1 decide of the Cincinnati Bengals within the 2020 draft after main LSU to a CFP nationwide championship, and Auburn’s Cam Newton was the highest decide by the Carolina Panthers within the 2011 draft.
