Mark Cuban Reveals How He Helped Indiana Hoosiers Win College Football Title With His Crucial $2.6M Investment

Mark Cuban and Fernando Mendoza. (Photos via Imagn)

Mark Cuban Reveals How He Helped Indiana Hoosiers Win College Football Title With His Crucial $2.6M Investment

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Orlando Silva | Last updated May 6, 2026 4:29 PM ET

Fernando Mendoza led the Indiana Hoosiers to a magical 2025 College Football season. After spending the first two campaigns of his collegiate career with the California Golden Bears, the quarterback transferred to Indiana for his junior season.

Under Curt Cignetti’s guidance, Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a 16-0 perfect season and the College Football Playoff championship against the Miami Hurricanes.

It was a match made in heaven, but the program needed extra help to lure in Mendoza. Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed he helped his alma mater become national champions.

Mark Cuban Reveals How He Helped Recruit Fernando Mendoza

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Ahead of the 2024 season, the Hoosiers were anything but a competitive team. Two years later, Cignetti led them to a 27-2 record. While the former Alabama coach built the foundation, Cuban said he added the final piece to the puzzle by funding Fernando Mendoza’s $2.6m NIL deal.

“[Scott Dolson’s] like, ‘We’ve got this quarterback that we really, really like that we think would be great in [Curt Cignetti’s] system, we just need a little bit more,’” Cuban said, via Front Office Sports.

“I’m like, ‘How much is a little bit?’ And so he told me, and I’m like, ‘OK, you know, we’re on a roll, I’ll put up the money to get this quarterback.’”

As they say, the rest was history. Mendoza became the No. 1 prospect in the country, while the Hoosiers found no opposition on their way to the championship.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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