Fernando Mendoza may have won the Heisman, but he is already a senior and is expected to leave Indiana for the NFL after the College Football Playoffs. The question now is, who will replace him? With that in mind, the Hoosiers have now reportedly been shopping for a quarterback and have set their eyes on TCU’s Josh Hoover.
Mendoza, who is now in his final year of eligibility, led Indiana to an undefeated season, ranking No. 1 in the nation. Replacing him would be a tall task, but with Hoover declaring for the transfer portal, they may have found their man. He would not come cheap, though, as On3 projected his NIL value to be around $2.1 million.
Josh Hoover is already a junior this season and will enter his senior season next year, so if Indiana wants him, they would also have to plan for a replacement. Additionally, two other SEC programs, Missouri and Tennessee, have also expressed interest in the quarterback, though Indiana may tout its development of Mendoza to impress and attract the junior QB.
For this season, Hoover threw for 3,472 yards on 203 attempts and 141 completions, with 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. This means that the junior QB still has a lot to improve upon, but a good QB program at Indiana could fix many of his flaws.
With Missouri and Tennessee also vying for him, however, Indiana would be wise to step up with a bigger offer, in addition to showcasing how they developed Fernando Mendoza into a Heisman winner.
Is Indiana The Favorite To Land Josh Hoover As Fernando Mendoza’s Replacement?
The question now is, will Indiana actually be able to land Josh Hoover once Fernando Mendoza inevitably leaves? According to analyst Josh Pate, Indiana is actually the favorite to land the former TCU quarterback.
“Indiana looks to be the clear favorite according to Nakos, and that stands to reason because this is going to be the third cycle in a row now where Curt Cignetti is going to go to the portal for a quarterback,” Pate said during an episode of “Josh Pate’s College FootbaLL SHOW.”
He added that Curt Cignetti needs a new quarterback if he wants to replicate this year’s success, and credits On3’s Pete Nakos for reporting that the Hoosiers will be coming in strong as they go after Hoover.
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