Curt Cignetti has been here before. New quarterbacks, new expectations, same belief in his system. At James Madison, he turned four different QBs into Player of the Year winners. At Indiana, he helped Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke go from an afterthought to a projected top 10 QB in the 2025 NFL Draft. And now, as the Hoosiers prepare for 2025, he is high on his new QB Fernando Mendoza. And if his words are any indication, the former Cal QB’s arrival is bigger than just Indiana—it’s a message to the rest of college football. 

Right after Indiana’s first spring practice, Cignetti gave the media a no-nonsense rundown of his expectations. He kicked things off with, “I thought today was a very solid day,” but then got real. “But look, this is a football team that didn’t finish the season very well. Went up and played in the college football playoff and didn’t play like we wanted to play, have some things to prove,” he added. That loss in the playoff stung, but the HC wasn’t about to let that define his program.

Indiana’s breakthrough 11-2 season in 2024 turned heads. But Curt Cignetti knows sustaining success in the Big Ten is a different beast. “But you know, that’s all in the past,” he continued. “These are a whole bunch of new guys, new team. Every team in America is pretty much that way, probably 90 percent of them. Everyone is 0-0 right now, and they will be heading into game 1 in the fall. It’s all earned, not given, between the white lines.” The Hoosiers aren’t sneaking up on anyone this year. They need to prove that last season wasn’t a one-hit wonder. 

Perhaps Fernando Mendoza is the key to a strong upcoming season? Curt Cignetti worked his portal magic once again, bringing in the No. 3 QB from the portal. The two-year Cal standout started in 19 games, throwing for 4,712 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He recorded his personal best last season—3,004 yards and 16 TDs to just six interceptions despite playing behind a struggling offensive line. And mark these last words. This is where Cignetti delivers a blunt take on Cal. 

Curt Cignetti is high on Fernando Mendoza 

The first day of spring practice gave Curt Cignetti more hope to look forward to. “I thought he did good,” he said of Fernando Mendoza. “The big thing we’re going to be working on him this spring is getting the b— out of his hand on rhythm. A lot of the concepts he’s been exposed to, they were probably called differently. Some of the concepts will be a little bit new.” But for now, it’s about building trust in the pocket, something the QB didn’t always have a luxury of at Cal. 

“There’s things at Cal,” Cignetti blurted out. “He was under duress quite a bit at Cal. So we protected the passer in the pass better. So developing trust and confidence in the pocket, throwing the ba-l on rhythm.” He knows the real test comes with time for the QB who was sacked 41 times.

“We’re out there today in our pajamas,” he added. “Once we get into the banging and clanging, things will pick up.” The message is clear. Indiana isn’t satisfied. They aren’t backing down. If Fernando Mendoza is next in Curt Cignetti’s line of QBs to take a leap, the rest of the 133 FBS teams better take notice.