One of the most frustrating sagas in recent Calcio football history is finally over. Fernando Mendoza is on his way to Indiana. Pete Thamel has the first report.

The Cal quarterback who endeared himself to a large portion of the fan base with his seriousness, his passion and his passion. and his genuine excitement about being a Golden Bear continued this offseason after a disappointing 6-6 season. Mendoza will be remembered for his courageous performances against Auburn, Wake Forest, Washington State, Miami, UCLA and of course his two big game wins. But ultimately, we’re in the new world of college football, and Mendoza was looking for a new home with an up-and-coming team, a coach at the peak of his abilities and one of the top five offenses in the sport.

He landed with the Hoosiers fresh off an 11-2 season in which they made the 12-team College Football Playoff. He will join his brother Alberto Mendoza (also a quarterback) and is the presumptive favorite for the job with Kurtis Rourke departing and Tayven Jackson moving on. Now that he can work with it AP Coach of the Year Curt CignettiMendoza should have a good chance to add to his growing quarterback stock in a way that would have been more difficult at Cal.

Cal now has to find a quarterback in the transfer portal. That is possible Chandler Rogers (who were active this year and started at SMU) could apply for another year of eligibility, A new NCAA decision allows any player who played JUCO an additional year of eligibility (Rogers visited Blinn). CJ Harris (who started the Los Angeles Bowl) has two years of eligibility remaining and EJ Caminong Should have kept his red shirt. But I suspect the Bears will want another quarterback with significant experience in this race as well, since none of these three quarterbacks had a standout moment in 2024.

Thanks for the memories, Fernando. But now they are memories. On to the next one.