Le Journal

Shortly after winning the 2026 National Championship, the Indiana Hoosiers learned their quarterback room got depleted as Fernando Mendoza leaves for the NFL, and his backup has now entered the transfer portal. On the morning after the school’s first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship crowning, the Indiana Hoosiers learned that Fernando Mendoza’s successor had entered the NCAA transfer portal, with one clear favorite emerging to sign him. In the blink of an eye, Curt Cignetti and company discovered there might not be a competition for the starting quarterback job next spring. Indiana’s backup quarterback behind Fernando Mendoza—his brother Alberto Mendoza—has announced his decision to enter the transfer portal ahead of the 2026 college football season, as reported by Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer. After being limited throughout his two years in Bloomington, the three-star recruit is now off to his next destination in the NCAA. During his time with the Indiana Hoosiers, the Heisman trophy winner’s brother only made appearances in garbage time as Indiana blew its competition out of the water. Where will Mendoza play in 2026? According to On3, Alberto Mendoza is headed out of the Big Ten Conference. Instead, the former James Madison commit who followed Curt Cignetti to Indiana is reportedly signing with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as a transfer. Georgia Tech is coming off a promising year with Haynes King under center. Fernando Mendoza at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. However, King is headed to the NFL Draft, leaving the starting job race wide open in Atlanta. Mendoza will vie to earn the QB1 role, as the Yellow Jackets boast an exciting offense—one that has become even more appealing after Alabama and Michigan RB transfer Justice Haynes joined their backfield. Who will Indiana start at QB in 2026? With the Mendoza brothers headed for the exit door—Fernando trending to be the No. 1 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and Alberto looking for an opportunity to be a starter in college football—Cignetti and Indiana will stare at a depleted quarterback room in Bloomington. However, all hope is not lost. Instead, the Hoosiers believe they have found their next great quarterback in the portal. The Indiana Hoosiers have signed TCU transfer Josh Hoover, who was expected to be the starting quarterback in 2026 even if Alberto Mendoza stayed with the program. With the younger sibling of the Heisman winner out of the picture, all signs indicate the redshirt senior out of Rockwall, Texas will run away with the first-string job.

The Phillies believed they were close to signing Bo Bichette before a late move by the New York Mets reportedly triggered a sharp reaction within Philadelphia’s front office. The Philadelphia Phillies believed they were closing in on one of the most significant free-agent additions of the offseason when talks with Bo Bichette reached a critical stage. Momentum had quietly built inside the organization, and optimism followed a strong long-term offer that appeared to align with the club’s vision. That confidence unraveled quickly when Bichette chose the New York Mets, opting for a shorter contract with a higher annual value rather than Philadelphia’s seven-year proposal. The sudden pivot caught the Phillies off guard and triggered frustration at the highest levels of the front office. What followed was not merely disappointment, but a sense that negotiations had taken an unexpected turn at the final moment, reshaping how the organization viewed the entire process. Phillies’ reaction According to Todd Zolecki on The Phillies Show podcast, the internal reaction was intense once word surfaced that Bichette would not be heading to Philadelphia. “The word livid was used in terms of the reaction to the news that Bo did not end up coming to the Phillies and went to the Mets,” Zolecki explained. Bo Bichette reacts after a plate appearance. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images Did the Phillies believe the deal was already in place? Jim Salisbury, speaking on the same podcast, reinforced that sense of expectation inside the organization. “I sense legit, real confidence that the Phillies thought they were in a good place and were going to bring this thing home,” Salisbury said, adding that the eventual outcome left “great disappointment within the front office.”