
Mark Cuban revealed that his financial support was crucial in bringing quarterback Fernando Mendoza to Indiana, leading to Mendoza's Heisman Trophy win and national title for the Hoosiers.
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Mark Cuban reveals he is the financial reason Fernando Mendoza landed with Indiana: 'The rest is history' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Mark Cuban may have completely altered college football history in 2025.
The famous American businessman and former owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who has been a known donor to the Indiana Hoosiers' NIL collectives, recently revealed that his dollars helped bring star quarterback Fernando Mendoza to Bloomington — before he then became the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 NFL Draft pick, bringing Indiana's first national title.
While Cuban didn't specify how deep into his pockets he went for Mendoza, he gave himself some credit for financially backing the quarterback's NIL deal.
Here's what to know about Cuban saying he helped bring Mendoza to Indiana.
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In a recent interview with Front Office Sports, Cuban said that during the 2024 College Football Playoff, when Indiana had its matchup against Notre Dame, he was in a suite with Hoosiers athletic director Scott Dolson.
Mark Cuban's financial backing helped secure Fernando Mendoza's NIL deal, which was pivotal for his recruitment to Indiana.
Fernando Mendoza became a Heisman Trophy winner and led Indiana to its first national title, significantly altering the program's history.
NIL deals allow college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness, which can influence recruitment and team success.

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He said that as Indiana was losing, Olson mentioned a quarterback that the Hoosiers had interest in landing.
"He's like, 'We’ve got this quarterback that we really, really like that we think would be great in [Curt Cignetti’s] system, we just need a little bit more,'” Cuban said. “I’m like, ‘How much is a little bit?’ And so he told me, and I’m like, ‘OK, you know, we’re on a roll, I’ll put up the money to get this quarterback.’”
Cuban added that he was aware of Fernando Mendoza's brother, Alberto, already being on the Hoosiers. And prior to then, Cuban told FOS that he had never donated to Indiana athletics.
“I knew [Fernando’s brother Alberto], who was already on the team, was a Heat fan and he would sit behind the Miami bench, and when I would come to go to Mavs-Heat games, he was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to IU,’” Cuban said. “So we met. And so I’m like, 'OK, I’ll put up the money, and we can go get Fernando, and the rest is history.'”
When asked about how much Indiana needed to land Mendoza, all Cuban responded was with: "Enough."
According to On3, Mendoza had an NIL valuation of $2.6 million as of December 2025, when he landed an endorsement deal with Adidas.
While that valuation was an estimate, it also would've reportedly made him one of the five highest-paid college football players last season.