Indiana losing Fernando Mendoza makes Curt Cignetti, 3,000-yard QB, ready for unthinkable

Key Highlights

• He's going to be the guy the college football community points to as a possible blueprint for future NFL stardom."Just a few years ago, the thought of Indiana producing a No.
• 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft would have seemed impossible," Nagel wrote.
• "Doing it twice in a row would have been absurd.
• With Fernando Mendoza widely viewed as the favorite to go first in 2026, quarterback transfer Josh Hoover steps into an offense that has already proven it can elevate quarterbacks to the very top of the draft board.
• Oklahoma is the most recent program to pull off the feat with Baker Mayfield (2018) and Kyler Murray (2019), while USC last did it in the late 1960s."MORE: CFB analysts agree with USC's must-win game to determine CFP fate, Lincoln Riley's futureAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementESPN's Kirk Herbstreit validated Nagel's points further in an episode of "Crain and Cone," putting Hoover in the same category as some of the sport's best quarterbacks who are returning next season. More specifically, Herbstreit noted Hoover as a possible "sleeper" option this fall in a potentially surprising, productive season.“I mentioned already that Josh Hoover could be that guy,” Herbstreit said.