LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Fernando Mendoza left New York with more than a trophy.
He came home with Tim Tebow’s advice, Archie Griffin’s phone number, a sore arm from passing the Heisman around Times Square, and a clearer picture of what it really means to win college football’s most sacred award.
“Great weekend, great experience,” he said. “… But the page is now folded.”
Mendoza is already working on the next chapter.
The Indiana quarterback spent much of Monday reflecting — and recovering — from the whirlwind that followed his name being called Saturday night.
He met a dozen past winners. Talked shop with Griffin. Shared Spanish gratitude with his grandparents in his speech. Even quoted DeVonta Smith’s underdog message. But his mind kept drifting forward.
“I’m honored to be in the Heisman fraternity for life,” Mendoza said. “But our focus now is on winning the College Football Playoff. That’s what would make this trophy so much sweeter.”
Mendoza said Indiana hit the weight room Monday morning, just like always. The difference now is that his teammates are lifting next to a Heisman winner, the first in school history. A 13-0 record and Big Ten title already rewrote IU’s football legacy. Mendoza’s win added punctuation. But not a period.
“This is a little push of confidence,” he said. “We know we’re making history. But we understand that we need to be humble and hungry. Now it's on to the real trophy, the season’s trophy. The national championship.”
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The Heisman weekend wasn’t just a party. It was a passing of the baton.
Tebow told him to live in the moment — but prepare so thoroughly he’ll never regret it. Griffin offered kind words even after Mendoza’s Hoosiers stunned his beloved Buckeyes. Dozens of legends greeted him not just with congratulations, but expectation.
“Those guys told me every year, the trophy means more to them,” Mendoza said. “… So I promised to carry it with honor, responsibility and humility.”
He meant it. He had rehearsed the speech. Practiced the Spanish. Knew exactly who he wanted to thank. But when his name was called, the moment was no less overwhelming.
“I thought it sounded better in the mirror,” he joked. “And then I got up there and I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m nervous.’ But I’ve heard good feedback. … It was just important to me to thank everyone who helped me get here. … And to say, if you're too small, you know, too raw to anything, don't let anybody knock you down. You can do it.”
The lightest moment came in the Big Apple, where Mendoza and a dozen Indiana teammates took the trophy on a Times Square parade of their own.
No official escort. Just a few linemen — among the teammates who paid their own way to celebrate with him — acting as security, chanting “Hoosiers on top,” pushing through Elmos and tourists, taking photos, trading turns with the heavy hardware.
“We’re passing it off to each other … trying to get people out of the way to be able to take pictures in Times Square,” he said. “And I think it was a great time to be in the Big Apple. Such a great experience that I believe all of us will remember for the rest of our lives.”
What followed was less a hangover than a comedown. The travel. The interviews. The emotion. He admitted it took some time to decompress.
Now? He’s back in a film room. A weight room. A locker room full of belief.
The season started with a player whose name Indiana fans barely sure. It ends with a season they will never forget, on college football’s biggest stages, Heisman in hand, Rose Bowl ahead.
“I don’t even know if I’m deserving of this,” Mendoza said Monday. “… But I believe I'm in a good state right now where I'm humble and I'm hungry, ready for the full playoff”
The Heisman was the exclamation point. But Mendoza’s story isn’t finished.
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