The Indiana Hoosiers may need to thank Mark Cuban for helping them achieve history behind Fernando Mendoza.
Mendoza led the Hoosiers to their first national championship in an undefeated season. After transferring from California last offseason, the quarterback earned the Heisman Trophy by accounting for 48 touchdowns with 10.8 yards per pass attempt.
If Cuban is to be believed, he's responsible for Indiana landing the biggest heist of the portal era. The former Dallas Mavericks majority owner told Front Office Sports that he gave his alma mater money to pursue Mendoza.
Cuban recalled a conversation with Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson during the program's first-round College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame in December 2024.
"We started talking," Cuban said. "He's like, 'We got this quarterback that we really, really like that we think would be great. Just need a little more.' I'm like, 'How much is a little bit?' And so he told me and I'm like, OK. We're on a roll. I'll put up the money to get this quarterback."
"They needed enough"
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Cuban already had a connection to the Mendoza family before the star quarterback joined the Hoosiers. The entrepreneur met Fernando's brother, Alberto Mendoza, at Mavericks games.
"I knew [Alberto], who was already on the team, was a Heat fan and he would sit behind the Miami bench," Cuban said. "And when I would come to go to Mavs-Heat games, he was like, 'Oh yeah, I go to IU.' So we met. And so I'm like, OK, I'll put up the money, and we can go get Fernando. And the rest is history."
Cuban had donated to academics, but he had never given any money to Indiana's athletic department. The 67-year-old picked his spot wisely, as Fernando Mendoza elevated Curt Cignetti's team into a 16-0 juggernaut before the Las Vegas Raiders made him the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
While he publicized his NIL contribution, Cuban wouldn't disclose how much he gave Indiana.
"They needed enough," Cuban declared.
