Mendoza, a Heisman Trophy winner, led the 27-21 victory over Miami and led the Hoosiers to the NCAA College Football Playoff title.
MADRID, Spain.- Indiana University won this Monday the first national college football championship in its history, driven by the performance of its quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a player of Cuban origin and winner of the Heisman Trophy. The Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the College Football Playoff final and closed the season with an impeccable record of 16 wins and no losses.
Mendoza, born in Miami to a family with Cuban roots, was the leader of a historic campaign that took Indiana to the top of college sports. His performance throughout the course and in the decisive match positioned him as the face of the team and as one of the most outstanding talents of his generation, in a season that combined collective success and individual recognition.
The duel against Miami was balanced and was decided in the final minutes, with Indiana maintaining the advantage thanks to an offense led by its star quarterback and a defense that resisted the Hurricanes’ comeback attempts. The win allowed the Hoosiers to complete one of the few perfect seasons on record in recent NCAA history.
Speaking to the press and visibly emotional after the game, Fernando said that “there were no words” to describe the moment, “the most special of his life”, for him and his teammates.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza gives all glory to God, breaks down in tears after winning the College Football National Championship. pic.twitter.com/SbkYezv0Gy
— Tommy B. 🇺🇸 (@realtommybibi) January 20, 2026
Last December Mendoza won the Heisman Trophythe highest individual recognition in college football, awarded to the best player of the season. With this award he not only made history for his sports program, but also marked a milestone by becoming the first Cuban-American player to receive this award.
On that occasion, the impact of his victory transcended the sporting field and generated reactions in the political field. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis congratulated the player from his X account by saying: “Congratulations to Fernando Mendoza, a former student of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, for winning the Heisman Trophy.”
While Congressman Carlos Giménez highlighted the achievement on the same social network, where wrote: “Congratulations to my Christopher Columbus High School classmate, Fernando Mendoza, for becoming the first Cuban-American to win the Heisman Trophy.”
With the Heisman on his record, and now the national title, Fernando Mendoza becomes a reference figure for the Cuban and Cuban-American community in the United States, by starring in one of the most relevant achievements in college football and placing his name among the great prospects for the next NFL Draft.
