Transfers Ready To Acclimate As Fall Camp Begins
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Comparisons between Josh Hoover, Indiana’s new quarterback, and Fernando Mendoza, last season’s Hoosier quarterback standout who played his way to Heisman Trophy winner, are inevitable. Curt Cignetti offered his take during last week’s Big Ten media gathering in Chicago.
“They both were starting quarterbacks where they came from,” Cignetti begins from the recent Big Ten Media Days platform in Chicago.
For Hoover, that was TCU. For Mendoza, it was the University of California.
Cignetti goes more in depth, but before getting to that, consider the background details.
Last season, in 16 games as a Hoosier, Mendoza completed 72 percent of his passes for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns against six interceptions. In two previous seasons at California, he completed 65 percent of his passes for 4,712 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
Most importantly, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mendoza led IU to a 16-0 record that included dramatic victories at Oregon, at Iowa, at Penn State and against Ohio State and Miami.
Last year at TCU, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hoover threw for 3,472 yards, 29 and 13 interceptions while completing 65.9 percent of his passes. In his TCU career, his 9,629 lead all active quarterbacks. He completed 65.2 percent of his passes with 71 touchdowns and 33 interceptions.
TCU was 18-8 in the last two seasons.
“Josh Hoover has won a lot of football games, thrown for a lot of yards, thrown a lot of touchdown passes,” Cignetti says. “He has an innate ability to play the position of quarterback. He’s kind of a natural passer, very accurate, processes very quickly.
“I think the things we'll ask him to do are different than the things TCU asked him to do. We're not going to put the ball in his hand and say go win the game and outscore people. We're going to give him a run game, a defense, and special teams and every once in a while on third down a punch-positive play.
“Fernando Mendoza is a little taller. He may have a little bit of a stronger arm, but he was probably more raw fundamentally and in just playing the position of quarterback, still learning.
“The thing I'll say with Fernando is from a preparation standpoint, he did everything within the realm of possibility to become the best he could be. I think what separated Fernando was when the game was on the line, those fourth-quarter wins, the last three minutes, four minutes, that's when he played his best football. He was a tremendous competitor.”
With practice beginning this week, Cignetti says, “I'm really anxious to see Josh and the progress he's made in practice and fall camp.”
Mendoza only played one season under Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, and he had the best year of his career. The same was true in 2024 with Kurtis Rourke, an Ohio transfer, and before that, multiple one-year James Madison quarterbacks. They all struggled in the spring, and in August camp and early in the season before thriving when it mattered most.
In Mendoza’s case, that led to the Heisman Trophy, the first in IU program history.
“All the one-year quarterbacks we have followed the same line,” Cignetti says, “and I expect (Hoover) to, as well.
“I really like our transfer class,” Cignetti says. “I think we did extremely well and under tough circumstances where we were playing deep into the playoffs. I think we filled some critical needs.”
That includes Nick Marsh, who brings big-play potential (100 catches, 1,311 receiving yards, nine touchdowns in two Spartan seasons).
“Nick Marsh is a proven two-year player at wide receiver, very productive,” Cignetti says. “I think you're probably talking about the golden shoes the first day of practice. We don't do that where I coach.
“He got the message, and he's been great. He had a great summer, and I'm expecting big things from him.”
The same is true for all the transfers as IU seeks to again contend for Big Ten and national titles.
“I'm expecting all the transfers,” Cignetti says, “when they step on the field in training camp, to be a lot better than they were in the spring because it's their second time through it.”
And then, when also considering the returning players as well as the high school recruits, Cignetti adds, “I think this team has got a lot of nice pieces.”