The Indiana Hoosiers football program, under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, has experienced one of the quickest turnarounds in college football history.
Indiana not only won the Big Ten for the first time since 1967, but also clinched the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and defeated Ohio State for the first time since 1988, finishing the season with a perfect 13–0 record. In the process, the Hoosiers have become one of the premier destinations for recruits.
After transferring from California, quarterback Fernando Mendoza capped off the season by winning the Heisman Trophy and is now projected as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
However, with Mendoza expected to depart, Indiana will need to find a new quarterback for the third straight year. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Cignetti and the Hoosiers are firmly in the mix for Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt, one of the most prominent quarterbacks expected to enter the transfer portal this offseason.
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In Cignetti’s first season with the Hoosiers, Indiana landed Kurtis Rourke out of the transfer portal from Ohio, a move that proved successful as he led the program to the College Football Playoff, where it lost in the first round to Notre Dame.
That success carried over to Mendoza, who has been everything and more in Bloomington, helping Indiana secure a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff this week as the Hoosiers await the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup between Oklahoma and their next opponent.
In 2024, as the starter for Arizona State, Leavitt completed 61.7% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just six interceptions, leading the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff. This past season, he totaled 1,628 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions before his season ended early due to a foot injury. He still has at least two years of eligibility remaining.
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