On Saturday, the Indiana football program raised eyebrows nationally by knocking off the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big 10 Championship Game, letting everyone know that their 12-0 regular season record was no fluke. As a result, the Hooziers got the number one overall seed in the upcoming college football playoff, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza was named as a finalist for this year's Heisman Trophy Award.
On Wednesday, Mendoza received another honor that could bode well for his Heisman chances further down the line.
“Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza named Walter Camp National Player of the Year. Last 3 Walter Camp winners & 10 of last 12 also won the Heisman,” reported Brett McMurphy of On3 Sports on X, formerly Twitter.
Overall, it's no surprise that Mendoza took home this award considering his elite year that he put together throughout the 2025 season. Indiana football typically dominated the competition this year, but even when things got tight, such as in their road win against Penn State, Mendoza was able to step up and make clutch plays when absolutely necessary, which was also the case on Saturday against Ohio State.
Indiana will now set its sights on what it hopes will be a national championship run over the next month, beginning against either Alabama or Oklahoma, depending on the winner of that high-stakes first round matchup between two SEC foes. Oklahoma won the game between the two teams in the regular season.
