David HaleJan 17, 2026, 01:32 PM ETCloseCollege football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.Graduate of the University of Delaware.Follow on X
“Although it means a lot to myself, being from Miami, having family from Miami, growing up a University of Miami fan, it’s the national championship. It means so much for Bloomington. It means so much for my teammates. It would mean so much for everybody around. I don’t want to put the spotlight on myself, but on everybody.”
This comes as no surprise to Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who has built the Hoosiers into a monster by investing in players exactly as understated and dedicated to the process as Mendoza.
Indeed, Mendoza blossomed at Indiana, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to the national championship game. In the College Football Playoff, Mendoza has thrown more touchdown passes (eight) than incompletions (five).
“It’s just the work and being committed to the work and the process and the product,” said center Pat Coogan, who played in last year’s national championship game with Notre Dame before transferring to Indiana. “That’s just part of who we are. No magic pill. The secret’s in the work.”
Cignetti chalked up Indiana’s unlikely rise as the combination of the right people, the right culture and consistent commitment to the right process.
The result has felt like magic, but it’s not a label anyone wants to embrace — except for, possibly, one play that will be unleashed in the title game against Miami.
So clearly that’s a nod to the wizardry of building Indiana and the magic wand he insists he doesn’t have, right?
If it’s not magic, though, it certainly is a skill that has turned Cignetti and Mendoza into stars — even if they are not exactly comfortable in that role.
In fact, Cignetti summed up his drive for attention succinctly when asked Saturday if he had any interest in an NFL job after all the success at Indiana.
“I’m not an NFL guy,” he said. “I made that decision a long time ago. I’ve always been a college football guy.”
Fernando Mendoza discusses playing against Miami in the national championship, growing up just miles from campus. (1:50)
CloseCollege football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.Graduate of the University of Delaware.Follow on X
“We do have a play called ‘Wizard’ we installed for this one,” Cignetti said.
Fernando Mendoza excited to go home and play title game in Miami (1:50)Fernando Mendoza discusses playing against Miami in the national championship, growing up just miles from campus. (1:50)