The fame of IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza, winner of the national championship and Heisman Trophy, moved to the realm of national talk shows with his appearances Thursday on The Tonight Show and Friday on CBS Mornings.
Mendoza also made something official Friday morning on social media that will surprise nobody: he's going to the National Football League.
"Let’s get to work," Mendoza wrote in a LinkedIn post. "I’m humbled to announce that I am officially declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft!"
Mendoza is the overwhelming favorite to be the first-overall pick in the draft. That pick is currently held by the Las Vegas Raiders.
During his Tonight Show appearance, Mendoza talked about his touchdown in the national championship game that will go down in IU sports history.
It was a quarterback draw on fourth-and-4 from the 12-yard line in the fourth quarter. After being hit from different sides at different times, Mendoza dove toward the end zone, stretching his arms to get the football across the plane, giving IU a 10-point lead after the extra point.
"I was like a human pinball machine," Mendoza told host Jimmy Fallon. "I was like, 'Boom, boom, bang.' Getting banged up. And, all of a sudden, I'm in the air, and I'm luke, 'Might as well reach for the touchdown, because I'm so banged up, i'm not sure I'll be able to get up after.'"
The four-minute appearance ended with a nod to IU's record breaking season. Except this was literal. Fallon tossed vinyl records in the air and asked Mendoza to break them by throwing footballs.
"Is this like my combine?" Mendoza said, referring to the NFL's annual pre-draft evaluation camp.
"No, you already got the job, bud," Fallon said.
Fernando Mendoza, winner of this year’s Heisman Trophy and the quarterback for the 2026 national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers, announced his eligibility for the 2026 NFL Draft Friday morning, telling CBS Mornings that he’s ready to put in the work to go pro: “It requires such… pic.twitter.com/jXM0E7xK5t
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 23, 2026
On Friday morning, Mendoza appeared on CBS Mornings. He talked about his family, including his mother, who lives with multiple sclerosis.
"My family and I, we know the struggle, and we know the fight that it takes," he said. "We know we can overcome this battle with raised awareness and the right people putting their right football forward."
Mendoza said he has raised $170,000 of his $250,000 goal.
Asked about the NFL, Mendoza answered with his usual humility.
"I don't know if I'm ready," he said. "It's requires such a new skillset. You need to have your mental game and your physical game on a whole other level. ... The people around me think I'm ready."