Greg McElroy states Fernando Mendoza is the best college football quarterback since Joe Burrow

Former Alabama quarterback turned ESPN analyst Greg McElroy delivered one of the boldest quarterback evaluations in recent college football memory. He’s placing Fernando Mendoza in rare air during the latest episode of Always College Football.

According to McElroy, Mendoza’s current level of play puts him in a category few have reached over the past decade: “This is not the traditional Indiana football,” McElroy said. 

“This is a Madden simulation that’s set on rookie difficulty. Fernando Mendoza at the center of it all. He is not just physically gifted, but he has that Ivy League processing.”

McElroy went a step further, comparing Mendoza’s efficiency and command of the offense to the very best quarterback season of the modern era: “I look at him and I know there’ve been some great quarterbacks in the last five years, like Caleb Williams, Bryce Young. A bunch of incredible football players,” McElroy added. 

“But this to me feels like one of, if not the best quarterbacks we’ve seen in college football since Joe Burrow.”

Of course, that’s a lofty comparison. Burrow’s rise at LSU was well documented, but Mendoza’s rise has been one of the most compelling storylines in the sport. 

After transferring from Cal to Indiana, he immediately took control of the Hoosiers’ offense, leading it with surgical precision. McElroy highlighted Mendoza’s completion percentage north of 73 percent as evidence of his elite efficiency and decision-making.

“He becomes the CEO of the offense,” McElroy explained. “His story is kind of Shakespearean in some ways.”

That efficiency was on full display in Indiana’s Peach Bowl matchup against Oregon, one of the nation’s top defenses. Facing a unit ranked among the best in pass defense, Mendoza delivered a near-perfect performance.

“He was a cool 17-for-20 for five touchdowns,” McElroy delineated. “That is clinical execution and it just kills you every single snap.”

Moreover, McElroy emphasized Mendoza’s ability to diagnose defenses before the snap, punish coverage mistakes instantly and anticipate windows before they open. Things that have the Indiana offense rolling at the moment.

“He anticipates your move and then boom. He punishes you before the ball even leaves his hand,” McElroy explained.

Beyond the arm talent, McElroy also pointed to an underrated aspect of Mendoza’s game in his mobility. With 429 rushing yards and six touchdowns this season (excluding sack yardage), Mendoza has consistently extended drives with his legs.

“He’s not a burner, but he’s football fast,” McElroy stated. “He’s slippery. You think you’ve got him bottled up on third-and-three, and then boom, he falls forward and it’s a first down.”

As Mendoza continues to carve up defenses, McElroy’s assessment underscores just how special Indiana’s quarterback has become. His name is now being mentioned alongside the very best the sport has seen in the past decade, but we’ll see if he can cap off this run with a national title next week.