You just got to love Fernando Mendoza. He is already an NIL millionaire but still took time to apologize for ruining people’s parlays after No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers pulled out a gritty 20-15 win over Iowa on Saturday. Don’t let that niceness mislead you. This is a player whose fundamentals are unbelievably precise under pressure, with top-notch pocket presence, and even respectable legs. All this production is now reflecting in his NIL valuation.
Perhaps the most talented QB in the country, Mendoza already seems to be in the discussion for the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and for good reason. Although he remains in the top five in chances of winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy, he went from having the shortest odds at +800 to the fifth-best at +1200. This has led to an increase of $447K in his On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks him at 16th on the list. He is worth $2.2 million as of now.
Winning keeps the spotlight bright, and Fernando Mendoza has Indiana sitting at 5-0 behind his 1,206 passing yards, 16 total touchdowns, with just one interception. His reach off the field is growing too, though it still feels like there is room to grow. Mendoza has 11,000 followers on Instagram and 4,100 on X, which is respectable but modest compared to some of his Heisman peers.
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That has not slowed down his valuation, proving that performance on Saturdays still carries the heaviest weight when it comes to NIL. Saturday’s win over Iowa also showed the quirky side of college football’s connection with betting lines.
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According to CBS Sports’ Robby Kalland, Indiana entered as -7.5-point favorites, and those last two points at the end of the game had ripple effects across wagers. Mendoza, ever the nice guy, apologized for it afterward, even though he later admitted he was simply executing head coach Curt Cignetti’s instructions. Now comes a chance to breathe. Indiana heads into its bye week unbeaten and confident before a marquee showdown with No. 6 Oregon on October 11.
Fernando Mendoza says, “sorry bettors”, we only care about winning
Fernando Mendoza might be the only one in America who apologizes for breaking hearts in Vegas. After Indiana’s nail-biting 20-15 win over Iowa, the Hoosiers’ star knew the final play may have cooked a few betting slips. “I know I probably cooked people’s spreads, or something like that, and I really apologize for that,” Mendoza said. “However, in that moment, my goal was to win the game.”
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Following instructions from head coach Cignetti, Mendoza deliberately ran out of the end zone for a safety. He admitted he noticed the clock had already hit zero but kept charging anyway, sealing the win with a quirky finish. “Coach said, ‘Hey, take a safety, run out of the end zone,’” Mendoza said. “When I got to the 2, I saw all zeros on the clock, but I kept going.”