Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza wasn’t one of the highly sought after QBs in this winter’s college football transfer portal, but his recent play is making him look like the biggest steal in the nation. The Hoosiers demolished then-No. 9 Illinois this past weekend 63-10, marking the second straight week Indiana has scored upwards of 60 points. After the victory, the Hoosiers shot up all the way to No. 11 in this week’s Associated Press Poll, and now Mendoza’s name is being heard.

The former California Golden Bear headed to Bloomington this past offseason, and has been nothing short of spectacular. Through Indiana’s first four games, Mendoza has thrown for a staggering 975 yards and 14 touchdowns while throwing no interceptions. He also ran for another 76 yards and two scores.

After the massive win for Indiana, Mendoza is now being talked about among the best quarterbacks in the nation, and many networks see the signal caller as the Heisman Trophy frontrunner. In a competitive Big 10 conference, Mendoza has now catapulted the Hoosiers into contention for a College Football Playoff spot. After the dominant conference opener against the Fighting Illini, no team in the Big 10 wants anything to do with Indiana.

Mendoza and the Hoosiers have several marquee games left on the slate as they look to compete towards the CFP. This weekend, Indiana will head to Iowa, then hit the road again to face Dante Moore and No. 6 Oregon. This weekend will be the first road game of the season for Indiana, so Mendoza will be thrust into a brand new spotlight, especially after his recent play. However, a new Heisman frontrunner has now emerged who no one saw coming.