Indiana Hoosiers star quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the Heisman Trophy winner, the potential top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the QB for the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
It has been a monumental season for Mendoza after transferring from Cal, and the praise continues to pour in. On Thursday, former New York Giants WR Victor Cruz, who won a Super Bowl with Eli Manning as his QB, had a hilarious compliment for Mendoza during an episode of “The Jim Rome Show.”
“He might be the most athletic nerd I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Cruz said. “As a quarterback, you love nerds…I think he really understands what it takes to be a quarterback, not only at this level, but at the next and I think his intelligence is what’s going to keep this team in it week in and week out.”
"He might be the most athletic nerd I've ever seen in my entire life."@TeamVic breaks down Heisman winner and Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza's game. pic.twitter.com/Jl6uF3N8nL
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) December 18, 2025
While Mendoza’s lone season at Indiana has been fun to watch, he is all about the academics as well.
Mendoza was pledged to Yale for half a year before changing his commitment to go to Cal. He then graduated after just three years at Cal, and is now working on a Master’s degree at Indiana.
But, Cruz said Mendoza’s intelligence is a good thing, and his “nerd” comment sure had Jim Rome a bit surprised. Mendoza has soared up NFL Draft boards and is commonly viewed as the top pick in April.
Mendoza has shown vast improvement this season, throwing for 2,980 yards with 33 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions as Indiana prepares to play in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on January 1.
