Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has claimed the 2026 Davey O’Brien Award, adding another prestigious accolade to what has become one of the most decorated seasons in college football history.
The star signal-caller, who led the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 national championship season, received the honor Monday night at a ceremony in downtown Fort Worth. It caps an extraordinary year that already saw Mendoza hoist the Heisman Trophy and cement his status as the projected No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft.
“This one means so much to me,” Mendoza said after accepting the award. “It’s a culmination of quarterback. The quarterback is the ultimate position in all of sports. It requires so many attributes to be successful,” he noted during his acceptance speech.
From Championship Glory to NFL Dreams
The past few months have been nothing short of transformative for Mendoza. After transferring to Indiana and orchestrating a perfect season, he now finds himself pivoting toward professional aspirations.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Mendoza said before receiving the award. “I think now it’s finally settled in, and the dust has started to settle. The national championship, and then boom, next thing you know you’re on a new chapter,” he told reporters.
Mendoza’s final collegiate campaign was nothing short of spectacular. The Indiana quarterback threw for 3,535 yards and an FBS-leading 41 touchdowns while completing an impressive 72% of his passes. Perhaps most remarkably, he threw just six interceptions across the entire season, demonstrating the decision-making ability that has NFL scouts salivating.
What does it mean to join the prestigious list of Davey O’Brien winners? For Mendoza, it’s about legacy and tradition.
“There are a lot of great names, and I have to do a lot of work ahead to try and live up to those names,” he explained. “It just speaks to the history and how rich the tradition is at Davey O’Brien. I can’t be more honored or blessed.”
TCU Connections Run Deep
The evening wasn’t just about celebrating Mendoza’s achievements. Former TCU coach Gary Patterson received the Davey O’Brien Legends Award, highlighting his deep connection to Fort Worth and the university he led for over two decades.
“I’m very thankful to TCU and Fort Worth because I’ve always said they raised me,” Patterson remarked. “People say, ‘Are you still going to live in Fort Worth?’ I kept my house, and I’ll probably die in Fort Worth, to be honest with you. It’s because the people who raised my friends are here.”
Interestingly, there’s another connection between Indiana and TCU. Former Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover transferred to the Hoosiers after throwing for an impressive 9,629 yards and 71 touchdowns over 36 games at TCU, creating an unexpected pipeline between the two programs.
The Davey O’Brien Award, which has been presented annually in Fort Worth since 1981, honors the nation’s top college quarterback and carries special significance in the football world. Named after the TCU quarterback who in 1938 became the first player to win the Heisman, Maxwell and Walter Camp awards in the same year, it represents excellence at the sport’s most scrutinized position.
As Mendoza prepares for the next chapter of his football journey, he carries with him not just trophies and accolades, but the weight of expectations that come with being labeled a generational talent. If his college career is any indication, the pressure is something he handles just as well as opposing defenses.
