The Indiana Hoosiers beat the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in Monday night’s national championship game, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the star. The Heisman Trophy winner finished 16-of-27 passing for 186 yards and delivered a key score with a fourth-down quarterback draw in the fourth quarter. His run proved decisive as Indiana claimed its first national title.
Heisman Trophy winner and current Fox Sports college football analyst Robert Griffin III didn’t hold back. "Miami really messed up when they didn’t even offer Fernando Mendoza a walk-on scholarship when he went to high school in their back yard," Griffin posted on X.
The remark underlines a long-running debate about Miami’s recruiting choices. Mendoza grew up a mile from the University of Miami and starred at Christopher Columbus High, yet Cal was his only Power Four (then Power Five) scholarship out of high school.
Coaches and friends offered context. Dave Dunn, Mendoza’s high school coach, said Miami staff never followed through on a walk-on invitation. Mendoza’s private trainer, Danny Hernandez, called him “awkwardly athletic,” saying mechanics and a COVID-19-shortened junior season hurt his early recruitment, per The Athletic.
Money entered the conversation when Mendoza transferred. Reports say he made about $100,000 at Cal and roughly $2.3 million at Indiana. Newsweek’s Ben Dogra reported Miami later offered a larger NIL package when the Hurricanes sought a quarterback, but Mendoza chose Indiana for development and fit.
“Mendoza made $2.3 million from Indiana, but he only made $100,000 at Cal,” Dogra said, per heavy.com. “But he was offered more by the University of Miami and turned it down. That’s why they got Carson Beck.”
Personal reasons mattered. Mendoza moved to Indiana to be near his younger brother Alberto and to ease travel for their parents; his mother has multiple sclerosis. He also connected with head coach Curt Cignetti and saw a clearer path to play. Those choices helped produce a season with 41 touchdown passes, 48 total touchdowns and national acclaim.
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After Monday, criticism of Miami’s past choices grew louder. The loss and Griffin’s comment are part of how a hometown talent became a Hoosiers legend. Legacy cemented.