MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 celebrates with his brother Alberto Mendoza #16 of the Indiana Hoosiers after defeating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida.  (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

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Cole Sullivan

By Cole Sullivan

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The Indiana Hoosiers are on top of the world after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the national championship on Monday night, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

With the college football offseason now officially underway, the Mendoza era in Bloomington appears to be over — at least for now. Fernando is headed to the NFL, and his younger brother, Alberto, who served as the backup quarterback over the past two seasons, announced his intention to transfer to Georgia Tech less than 24 hours after the national title game concluded.

Alberto’s decision received immediate support from his older brother, who reposted the news on Instagram with a four-word message: “Best QB I know.”

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Fernando is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft, while Alberto faced an uphill climb to replace his brother as starter after head coach Curt Cignetti brought in TCU transfer Josh Hoover, one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the portal — who will likely be the third starting QB in Cignetti’s three-year tenure, with the program dipping into the transfer portal each time.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 celebrates with his brother Alberto Mendoza #16 of the Indiana Hoosiers after defeating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida.  (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

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Yet for Alberto, he still has three years of eligibility remaining and will have a prime opportunity to compete for the starting job at Georgia Tech, a program that has seen significant success over the past two seasons under head coach Brent Key.

In his limited appearances this season for the Hoosiers, mostly in blowout games, Alberto completed 18-of-24 passes for 286 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 190 yards on the ground.

More news: Mario Cristobal Assigns Blame After National Championship Loss to Indiana

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