Overview
- Alberto Mendoza, who will make his first college start Thursday, transferred from Indiana after entering the portal on Jan. 20 when Indiana added TCU transfer Josh Hoover.
- Georgia Tech coaches named Mendoza the starter in spring and said he beat out redshirt freshman Grady Adamson to replace three-year starter Haynes King.
- Mendoza arrives with limited game experience at the FBS level, having thrown 24 passes in 2025 with five touchdown passes, and he was a three-star recruit ranked 137th at his position by 247Sports.
- Coaches praise Mendoza’s relentless preparation and quick grasp of co-offensive coordinator George Godsey’s more complex, higher-volume offense, noting long hours of study and constant questions.
- The move draws extra attention because his older brother Fernando won the Heisman and went No. 1 in the 2026 NFL Draft, and it gives Georgia Tech a chance to see if Mendoza can translate his prep work into sustained game production and affect the Yellow Jackets’ bid for ACC contention.