Why Alberto Mendoza transferred from Indiana to Georgia Tech out of brother's shadow

As Fernando Mendoza waits his turn in the NFL, his little brother's turn to start has finally arrived.

Alberto Mendoza will open the season as Georgia Tech's starting quarterback after transferring from Indiana, where he backed up his brother during a dream season for both the Mendoza family and the Hoosiers.

A day after the national championship game, the younger Mendoza decided to head to the ACC and replace Haynes King as the Yellow Jackets' quarterback.

Here's what you need to know about Mendoza's move to Georgia Tech.

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Why did Alberto Mendoza transfer from Indiana to Georgia Tech?

All that could have made Indiana's story better was Alberto Mendoza succeeding his brother as the Hoosiers' starting quarterback after a national championship season. That wasn't in the cards, though.

By the time the younger Mendoza entered the transfer portal on Jan. 20, Indiana had already landed its starter for 2026: TCU's Josh Hoover.

Why wouldn't Curt Cignetti just keep it in the family and promise the job to Alberto Mendoza? That would have been a major gamble for a program with title hopes. Mendoza doesn't have any starting experience at the collegiate level, and he was a three-star recruit who ranked 137th in his class.

Cignetti's first two quarterbacks at Indiana both had multiple years of starting experience, between Kurtis Rourke's time at Ohio and Fernando Mendoza's time at California. That strategy worked quite well. By adding Hoover rather than passing the baton to Mendoza, Cignetti stuck to his guns and freed up Mendoza to find a starting opportunity elsewhere.

At Georgia Tech, Mendoza beat out redshirt freshman Grady Adamson and will replace Haynes King, who finished 10th in Heisman Trophy voting last season.

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Alberto Mendoza recruiting ranking

Mendoza ranked 137th out of all quarterbacks in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports, coming in at three stars. He committed to Indiana a year before his brother joined him in Bloomington, which means the Hoosiers' dream season might have never happened had the program not given the younger Mendoza brother an offer.

To Alberto's credit, Fernando wasn't a highly-ranked recruit, either. Fernando was similarly a three-star quarterback who ranked 134th at his position. Alberto has already punched above his weight by becoming a Power Four starter, and he now has a chance to prove he should have been his brother's successor at Indiana.

Alberto Mendoza stats

Mendoza was relegated to mop-up duty at Indiana last season, tossing only 24 passes for the Hoosiers with his brother starting every game.

While his time on the field was limited, he impressed. Mendoza threw five touchdown passes on 24 attempts, giving Georgia Tech fans something to be excited about as he becomes a starter for the first time at this level.