Fernando Mendoza’s Brother Alberto Reportedly Enters Transfer Portal, What Are Top Landing Spots?
Alberto Mendoza, the younger brother of Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza, reportedly entered the transfer portal less than 24 hours after the Hoosiers’ College Football Playoff National Championship Game win over Miami.
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported Tuesday that the younger Mendoza is entering the portal after serving as a backup quarterback at IU for the past two seasons.
Zenitz added that Georgia Tech is “among the early teams to watch” when it comes to where Alberto could potentially land. Duke also “could end up being in the mix” for Mendoza, per Zenitz.
Prior to Fernando’s arrival at Indiana as a transfer from California, Alberto committed to the school in 2023.
In 2024, Alberto was among the backups to starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke, and he saw limited action as a freshman, attempting only one pass.
Alberto remained in a backup role in 2025 behind Fernando, and although Fernando put up huge numbers and won the Heisman Trophy, Alberto got some shine as well.
Making nine appearances in mop-up duty, Alberto went 18-of-24 for 286 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed 13 times for 190 yards and a score.
With Fernando leading the way, the Hoosiers beat the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 on Monday, giving the Mendoza brothers a national title.
While there was some thought Alberto could potentially take over as Indiana’s starter in 2026 should Fernando enter the NFL draft as expected, it doesn’t appear as though that is in the cards.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti secured a commitment from quarterback Josh Hoover, who threw for 3,472 yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions at TCU this past season.
Rather than sticking around and likely continuing in a backup role, Alberto is testing out the portal with an eye toward potentially landing a starting job elsewhere.
Georgia Tech could be a great fit for Mendoza since Haynes King, who was the Yellow Jackets’ starter for the past three seasons, will not be in the fold in 2026.
The same can be said for Duke, as the Blue Devils’ 2025 starter, Darian Mensah, is in the transfer portal.
Some other FBS power-conference teams lacking clear answers at quarterback next season include Iowa, Iowa State, Cincinnati and Michigan State, among others.
While none of the aforementioned teams stand out as clear CFP contenders right now, all of them could potentially offer Mendoza the chance to start, which is a right he has earned over the past couple of years at Indiana.
