Alberto Mendoza, the younger brother and backup of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, has entered the NCAA transfer portal after the Hoosiers beat the Hurricanes, 27-21, to secure its first-ever national championship Monday, according to ESPN.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound redshirt freshman appeared in mop-up duty behind Fernando this season, in which the team went 16-0.
Indiana and Miami players have until Jan. 24 to enter the transfer portal after the CFP title game.
Alberto threw for 286 yards on 75 percent passing, rushed for 190 yards and scored six total touchdowns with one interception in nine appearances for the Hoosiers this season.
He played 102 snaps total snaps this season, including nine snaps in the Hoosiers’ 38-3 victory over Alabama in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl.
The news comes after Indiana signed TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover, who is the favorite to start next season.
The Mendoza family, hailing from Miami, has been at the center of headlines.
Fans have enjoyed seeing matriarch, Elsa Mendoza, a former women’s tennis player at the University of Miami, and her husband, Fernando Sr. supporting their sons on the field.
Elsa opened up about her battle with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease, in a letter to Fernando, which was published in The Players’ Tribune a few days before the Heisman Trophy ceremony last December.
“Honestly: It will never be easy,” Elsa wrote. “But you’ve made it so much easier. And you’ve done that in the sweetest, strongest, most Fernando way possible — by making me feel the exact opposite of embarrassed. You’ve made me feel seen.
“… You’ve never once treated me like I’m embarrassing, or deficient, or anything other than someone you love and are standing by. And even as my condition has gotten worse, and as our lives continue to change around that fact: You manage to make me feel like I’m still every part of myself. Like I’m still that same person you’ve been teammates with since we got through our first Boston winter together. Like I’m still that same mom.”
Fernando said his dad remains seated, even during celebrations at his games, because his mom, who is in a wheelchair, is unable to stand.
Elsa was interviewed by multiple media outlets on the field after the CFP title game.
Fernando finished 16-of-37 passing for 186 yards with a highlight-reel rushing touchdown to help the Hoosiers complete an undefeated season Monday.
He partied with teammates at Miami hotspot, E11even, as seen in videos on social media.
