Mark Cuban says he funded Fernando Mendoza's NIL deal at Indiana

AlabamaArizonaBYUGeorgiaGeorgia TechHoustonIndianaIowaJames MadisonMiami (FL)MichiganNorth TexasNotre DameOhio StateOklahomaOle MissOregonTexas A&MTexasTexas TechTulaneUSCUtahVanderbiltVirginiaScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsNewsletterRecruitingOddsPicksBest Portal Classes2026 CFB PredictionsEarly Top 25Transfer QB RankingsCollege Football Mark Cuban didn't say how much the NIL deal cost him, though he appears satisfied with the investment. Anna Webber / Getty Images for Inc. at Inc. Founders House at SXSW Share article2Fernando Mendoza, and the Indiana Hoosiers by extension, might want to thank billionaire Mark Cuban for their college football national championship. Cuban, an Indiana alum who previously owned the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, told Front Office Sports in an interview that he covered the cost of Mendoza’s NIL deal. In doing so, he helped bring the Hoosiers their first national championship and indirectly molded a No. 1 NFL draft pick. “[Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson]’s like, we’ve got this quarterback that we really, really like that we think would be great in (coach 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.’” In the interview clip Front Office Sports shared as a preview of the full video, Cuban also said he had never donated to Indiana sports before. His prior connection to Mendoza’s family helped grease the wheels, however. “I knew [Fernando’s brother Alberto], who was already on the team, was a (Miami) 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 and da da da,’” 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.” Cuban didn’t say how much the NIL deal cost him, though he appears satisfied with the investment. Mendoza went on to win the Heisman Trophy in December and led Indiana to a 16-0 season that ended with a win over Miami in the national championship game. The Las Vegas Raiders picked him first in last month’s NFL Draft. Front Office Sports’ full interview with Cuban comes out Tuesday as part of its “Portfolio Players” podcast. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms