Alberto Mendoza leaves Indiana for Georgia Tech starting QB role

Alberto Mendoza will start at quarterback for Georgia Tech in 2026 after transferring from Indiana, where he backed up his older brother Fernando during the Hoosiers' national championship season. He replaces Haynes King, who finished 10th in Heisman voting. Mendoza entered the transfer portal on Jan. 20 after Indiana secured TCU's Josh Hoover as its 2026 starter, rather than promoting the younger Mendoza. Coach Curt Cignetti opted for the experienced Hoover over Mendoza, who has no collegiate starting experience and was a three-star recruit ranked 137th in his class. At Georgia Tech, Mendoza beat out redshirt freshman Grady Adamson for the job. In limited mop-up duty at Indiana, he completed 19 of 25 passes for 292 yards with five touchdowns and one interception across two seasons.