Can Indiana football remain a powerhouse without Fernando Mendoza?

By now everyone knows the story of the Indiana Hoosiers. They were the worst program in Division I football, hitting the most total losses of any team, and then Curt Cignetti arrives and turns to program completely around. In 2025 they went 16-0, winning the National Championship, beating Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and Miami along the way. Since Cignetti has taken the head coach job, Indiana has gone 27-2 over two seasons. Now with a bunch of pieces moving on, including Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, can the Hoosiers remain a top team, or will they regress this season? 

Experience was the main reason Indiana was able dominate the way they did. The Hoosiers starts averaged 3.96 years of college football experience, with 15 of their 22 starters in at least their fourth year of college. Not to mention, they had the best quarterback in college football. Mendoza went 273-379 in pass attempts, throwing for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions across all 16 games played in the 2025 season. They have 15 major losses from their championship roster including Fernando Mendoza, Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr., Aiden Fisher and D’Angelo Ponds. 

So who has Cignetti brought in to replace the former Heisman? The guy would be TCU transfer Josh Hoover. Hoover will enter as the most experienced active quarterback at the FBS level, leading all active players with 9,629 career passing yards and ranking second with 71 career touchdowns. While all that is nice, Hoover clearly isn’t as efficient as Mendoza was. He threw 11 interceptions in 2024 and 13 in 2025. However, this is something that could easily be fixed throughout practice with Cignetti. 

While Indiana has lost big parts of their team, they also have brought in some new weapons to utilize. By far the biggest addition is receiver Nick Marsh from Michigan State. Marsh led the Spartans in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in 2025. He currently is projected to be the immediate No. 1 receiver, as he and Hoover were already making connections in spring practice. The Hoosiers also brought running back Turbo Richard from Boston College and receiver Shazz Preston from Tulane to replace missing parts of their skill positions. 

The defense arguably took the biggest hits though. Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt, and Stephen Daley, who combined for 34 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 2025, are all gone. The Hoosiers were able to bring in Kansas State transfers Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor and Notre Dame transfer Joshua Burnham. The biggest names returning to this defensive unit are safety Amare Ferrell and defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker. 

Currently Indiana sits at the fourth-best odds to win the national title behind Ohio State, Texas and Notre Dame. The Hoosiers are still dangerous because Cignetti remains to be the best coach in the game, the system from the past two seasons is still in place, and the roster has the talent. Replacing a Heisman winner and a historically experienced roster won’t be easy. Indiana in 2026 is a contender but might not be the same unstoppable machine that went 16-0.