Indiana hit the jackpot last year in landing Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke, and he helped the Hoosiers go 11-2 and reach the playoffs.
The Hoosier hope to strike twice with California sophomore quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who also considered Missouri.
Mendoza went 265-of-386 passing for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions, and ran 87 times for 105 yards and two scores for the Bears, who finished 6-7. Mendoza didn’t play in the bowl loss against UNLV.
The 6-foot-5 and 225-pounder proved durable in absorbing 41 sacks, he had four games over 299 passing yards, including a season-high 385 yards and two scores (plus one rushing touchdown) in a 46-36 win at Wake Forest.
The former Miami (Fla.) Columbus High product was a Rivals.com two-star prospect. He flayed some of his best ball against the Florida colleges. He threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception in the 39-38 loss vs. Miami with ESPN College GameDay in town. He also threw for 303 yards and had an interception in a 14-9 loss at Florida State on Sept. 21.
Mendoza first committed to Yale over Pennsylvania, and then he signed with California.
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The winter college football transfer portal window is scheduled to open on December 9th, 2024 for 20 days. Additionally, players have a 30-day window to transfer when their head coach leaves. There is also a five-day window for players to transfer after their team has finished postseason play. A 10-day transfer window will open on April 16th as well.
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