Talk about record-breaking throws.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback and national champion Fernando Mendoza showed off his throwing skills and his comedic chops on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in a short appearance Thursday night.
The charismatic, Heisman Trophy-winning Mendoza stopped by the late-night talk show just days after he helped complete the movie-in-the-making Indiana season with a national title over the Miami Hurricanes on Monday.
“Well, we finally got our coach, [Curt] Cignetti, to smile, which was the biggest accomplishment,” Mendoza joked after Fallon asked how it felt to win a national championship. “But for real, Indiana has predominantly been a basketball [school] and football has been in purgatory for the longest time. And our team with coach Cignetti and a whole bunch of under-recruited guys, guys that have been doubted their entire lives, now finally marked as national champions. It means the world to all of us.”
The star quarterback, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, later described his memorable rushing touchdown late in the national championship game, explaining that he was supposed to run left and how his instincts had him run right instead.
“It’s like when you miss your exit on maps, and you’re like, ‘Oh shoot here we go,’” he continued, “but luckily it was an exit to a touchdown.”
Mendoza is coming off an incredible season at Indiana, where he became the first player in program history win a Heisman while setting the school’s single-season records for total touchdowns, passing touchdowns and completion percentage.
In fitting fashion, Fallon had Mendoza show off his passing skills with the comedian tossing music records into the air and having the quarterback hit them with footballs.
“Is this like my combine?” Mendoza jokingly asked.
Raiders owner Mark Davis and minority owner Tom Brady — whose team has the top draft pick — were on hand at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens to watch the national championship game in person on Monday, and more specifically, get a first-hand look at Mendoza.
The Hoosiers’ QB finished the season with 3,535 passing yards and 41 touchdown throws.
Mendoza had 186 passing yards on 16 completions, while also rushing for the go-ahead touchdown.
Earlier this week, Mendoza won over the hearts of football fans even more after he wrote a LinkedIn update about winning the national championship.
“Monday night, my teammates and I had the honor of raising the National Championship trophy and bringing a CFB title back to Bloomington, Indiana, for the first time in history,” he wrote in the missive. “With the guidance of our coaches and the unwavering support of Hoosier Nation, our band of brothers made the unbelievable believable. Here’s what winning a National Championship taught me about B2B sales (kidding…kinda).”
“Take the risk: When it’s 4th and 5 at the 12-yard line, go for it,” he later wrote in the post.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
