The Indiana Hoosiers and head coach Curt Cignetti are gearing up for their Rose Bowl showdown against Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide on New Year’s Day.
Following a 2025 college football season that saw the Hoosiers enter the playoff as the No. 1 seed in the nation, the future looks bright. Cignetti was given a lucrative long-term extension and the program appears to be headed in the direction of being a contender year in and year out.
While the future is bright, there are some questions that need to be answered this offseason. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana’s star quarterback and the Heisman Trophy winner this season, is expected to take his talents to the 2026 NFL Draft. Cignetti will have to figure out a way to replace him for the 2026 season.
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It’s possible that Indiana could be comfortable with the idea of Mendoza’s younger brother, Alberto Mendoza, taking over under center. However, there are many who believe that the Hoosiers will target a quarterback in the NCAA transfer portal.
That being said, a name has surfaced that Indiana is reportedly interested in.
According to ESPN’s Max Olson, the Hoosiers are one of the teams registering interest in Cincinnati transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby. There are other schools in the mix, like Texas Tech and LSU, but Indiana has started showing interest in him.
“The feedback from NFL scouts has been strong, and some think he could become a top-50 pick in this draft depending on who else goes pro,” Olson wrote. “But the Texas native is also arguably the most coveted QB on the market at the moment, with Texas Tech, Indiana and LSU among the many schools battling for his services, sources tell ESPN.”
Sorsby is coming off of an impressive season with the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2025. He completed 61.6 percent of his pass attempts for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while also picking up 580 yards and nine more touchdowns on the ground.
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Should he end up with Indiana, it would be a homecoming for Sorsby. He played for the Hoosiers during the 2022 and 2023 seasons to begin his college career. In 2023, he threw for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions for Indiana.
At the very least, this is an option to keep an eye on. The Hoosiers will need to figure out how to replace Mendoza, assuming he does enter the 2026 NFL Draft. Sorsby could be one option for them to consider.
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