Fernando Mendoza found great leaders when he arrived in Bloomington and responded by fitting into that structure. Here’s how.
There’s plenty of great leaders on Indiana football’s roster. Fernando Mendoza learned that pretty quickly when he arrived in Bloomington this past offseason.
Returners from the 2024 team that finished 11-2 included Aiden Fisher, Mikail Kamara, Elijah Sarratt and D’Angelo Ponds, among others. Those guys had been playing football together since their time with head coach Curt Cignetti at James Madison and brought that leadership with them to Indiana.
Seeing strong existing leadership, Mendoza set out to fit into that structure and try to elevate it as best as he could.
The first thing he did was study the entirety of the Hoosiers’ 2025 roster, doing his best to memorize names and photographs. When he encountered the guys whose photos he recognized around the facilities, from starters to walk-ons he made sure to address them by first name. Which he said wasn’t always easy, given that some had gotten haircuts since their roster photos were taken.
If he didn’t get a name right the first time, he got it the second.
“No matter who you are I’m going to care about you because I want to help this team and be a leader of this team,” Mendoza said during Rose Bowl media day on Tuesday. “I believe one of the best leaderships that I’ve been able to learn is servant leadership.”
Category: General Sports
