On January 25th, the Indiana Hoosiers football team won its first ever NCAA championship. They were led by Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. They faced the Miami Hurricanes and won 27-21. The Hoosiers obtained the second season of 16-0 while also winning the Championship in NCAA history, joining the 1894 Yale Bulldogs.
Just two years ago, Indiana was 3-9, and entering this season, they had the “most losses in FBS history” with 715. This marked one of the greatest turnarounds in sports history. As head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, Curt Cignetti has a 24-2 overall record, while the projected first overall pick in the NFL draft this year, Fernando Mendoza, has a 16-0 overall record with the team.
Following the 2023 season, which saw Indiana go 3-9, the team hired Curt Cignetti as its new head coach. His first 10 games went undefeated and ended the 2024 season with a record of 11-2. Indiana University stated on its website that “Indiana has added 38 student-athletes for the 2024 season. Along with the 22 transfer student-athletes.”
The combination of Cignetti and all of these players was the key factor in the start of Indiana’s turnaround. After the 2024 season, they added Mendoza, along with Roman Hemby, who racked up 65 total yards in the NCAA championship game. Pat Coogan, who transferred from Notre Dame, was also a key player, starting every game at center and playing a crucial part of the Offensive Line. They went 16-0 after making these additions. The Heisman quarterback was the biggest factor in their success.
Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman and the NCAA National Championship in the same season, joining four other quarterbacks. Mendoza’s performance in the NCAA national championship was the defining factor in Indiana’s win over the Hurricanes. The game was back and forth, but Mendoza’s hard-fought performance, including a critical 12-yard touchdown run on 4th down, broke multiple tackles to give Indiana the key lead. As Associated Press reporter Eddie Pells wrote, Mendoza “lowered his pads into a defender, spun in a full circle, used his hand to keep his balance, then launched himself horizontally and reached the ball over the goal line.” Mendoza ended the game with 186 passing yards and a 59% completion percentage.
Coach Cignetti emphasized the turnaround of the program, telling reporters that “We won the national championship at Indiana University. It can be done.” This championship not only capped an unbelievable rise from a team that was once near the bottom of the FBS, but also placed Indiana among the most memorable stories in college football history.
