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Where Indiana football QB Fernando Mendoza ranks in early 2025 quarterback rankings

Fernando Mendoza will be one of the top quarterbacks in the country next year — but where will the Indiana football signal caller rank?

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Fernando Mendoza will be one of the top quarterbacks in the country next year -- but where will the Indiana football signal caller rank? (Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)

When Curt Cignetti was brought in to take over the Indiana football program, part of the appeal from the IU administration and Scott Dolson was around Cignetti’s ability to develop quarterbacks. And in year one, he did exactly that.

After a good — but not great — career at Ohio, Kurtis Rourke finished in the top 10 of the Heisman voting in his one season with Indiana, helping lead the Hoosiers to a College Football Playoff appearance. But after one year he would be gone. So the question was; who would step in to replace him?

Indiana didn’t miss a beat and landed a commitment from transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza — one of the top QBs in the portal. Indiana beat out Miami and Georgia for the signal caller.

So, where will he rank this upcoming season?

247Sports national analyst Brad Crawford released his top-10 list this week, with Mendoza — as expected — quite high at No. 7 in the rankings.

How did Crawford rank his quarterbacks? He explained his reasoning — “based on what we’ve seen from each player on the field up to this point and how we expect the 2025 season to go from a statistical standpoint. This ranking comes after conversations with several analysts and those in the scouting world on some of the players jumping off the page ahead of spring. Future NFL impact has zero influence on these rankings.”

On Mendoza, Crawford said:

“Given how much of an emphasis this Hoosiers’ offense puts on quarterback play, Mendoza should flourish next season as Indiana tries to get back to the College Football Playoff,” he said. “In 20 games and 19 starts with the Golden Bears, Mendoza completed 66 percent of his passes for 4,712 yards with 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Crawford also provided a projection for Mendoza’s stats — 3,190 yards passing, 25 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

Last season at Cal, Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards including 16 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He completed 68.7 percent on his passes, second-best in the ACC. He had three games with at least 300+ passing yards and seven total of at least 275 yards.

“He can throw the ball. He can spin the ball. He can make all the throws.,” Cignetti said of his new quarterback. “He’s pretty mobile, he throws well on the move and he can run — he runs better than Kurtis.  He’s a highly intelligent guy. So, that’s where it all begins as everybody knows, and we think he’s gonna give us something.”

SEE ALSO: Where Indiana football ranks in ESPN’s 2025 ‘Way-Too-Early’ college football Top 25 rankings

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Alec Lasley is the owner of Hoosier Illustrated, a comprehensive site covering news, updates and recruiting for Indiana University athletics. Alec has covered Indiana for six years and is a credentialed media member. He has previously worked for both Rivals and 247Sports.

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