Heisman winner nearly transferred to Georgia football

The Georgia Bulldogs were among the top schools for Cal transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza last offseason. Mendoza was also considering UCLA and Wisconsin, but he ended up picking the Indiana Hoosiers. Mendoza visited Georgia and the Bulldogs were confident in their chances of landing the highly-touted transfer.

Mendoza probably made the right choice considering the fact that he just won the Heisman Trophy with Indiana, who is the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Mendoza led the Hoosiers on several clutch drives this fall and leads the country with 33 touchdown passes. He threw just six interceptions and passed for 2,980 yards. Mendoza's QBR of 88.5 is No. 3 in the nation. He added six rushing touchdowns and 240 rushing yards on the ground.

Mendoza winning the Heisman has to make Georgia fans think "what if", but the Bulldogs have to be happy with quarterback Gunner Stockton. Stockton finished among the top-10 in the Heisman voting and helped Georgia win a second straight SEC championship. Georgia is the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff. Stockton is the only quarterback with starting experience in a playoff game, so that should help him shine when the lights are the brightest.

Mendoza and Indiana have a bye in the first-round of the playoff. The Hoosiers will play the winner of the Alabama at Oklahoma game in the quarterfinals. Indiana is on the opposite side of the playoff bracket as Georgia.

One big reason why Mendoza transferred to Indiana over Georgia is because his brother already played for the Hoosiers. Mendoza committed to Indiana, where he was effectively guaranteed the starting role, over Georgia on Christmas Eve of last year. He became the seventh transfer to win the Heisman in the last nine years.

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza almost transferred to Georgia