Indiana quarterback Alberto Mendoza, brother and backup to Fernando, enters transfer portal
Alberto Mendoza saw action in nine games during the 2025 season, many of which were Hoosiers blowout wins. G Fiume / Getty Images
Indiana backup quarterback Alberto Mendoza, the younger brother of Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, entered the transfer portal just hours after the Hoosiers won the national championship, an IU spokesperson confirmed.
Alberto, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining, committed to coach Curt Cignetti and Indiana in 2024 out of high school as a three-star recruit.
He backed up quarterback Kurtis Rourke in 2024 during the Hoosiers’ breakthrough season, going 11-2 and making the College Football Playoff but bowing out in the first round against Notre Dame. Alberto’s presence in Bloomington helped convince Fernando to commit to Indiana once the former Cal quarterback was in the portal, after fielding interest from Georgia and Miami, among others.
Alberto saw action in nine games in 2025, mostly handling garbage-time duty for Fernando as the Hoosiers posted an average margin of victory of 27.1 points over the course of their unbeaten season.
With former TCU starting quarterback Josh Hoover already committed to Indiana out of the portal, Alberto will look elsewhere for a starting opportunity. In his two seasons, the redshirt freshman has completed 19 of 25 passes for 292 yards with five touchdowns and one interception, while running 13 times for 190 yards and another score.
