The 2025 season could not have been sweeter for Fernando Mendoza. He lifted the Heisman and brought the Natty for the Indiana Hoosiers. But the secret to his success lies in his hands. Taking a page out of the legendary Brett Favre’s book on football grip made all the difference. Recently, however, he did admit trying to change it.   

Mendoza showed how he holds the ball on the NFL on NBC podcast on host Chris Simms’ request. The latter pointed out that the quarterback’s ring finger landed on the third lace, calling it a rare technique. But Mendoza reminded Simms that Favre also used to prefer gripping the ball the same way. According to the star QB, this is the grip that works best for him.

“I actually just tried to change it too, this past summer, and it was good,” he said. “However, I just feel like I have more control of the ball…I tried it for a week, and there’s some good throws. It was a little low over the floor, so I was like, man, I’m gonna stick with number three. That’s what got me to this point. I threw at number three all season long, I believe I was pretty accurate.”

Favre used a much lower grip because of his large hands. He placed his ring finger on the third lace, pinky around the sixth, and only one finger actually over the laces. That grip became the foundation of the QB’s ability to generate incredible speed. Because the ball sat deeper in his hand, he trusted in a powerful wrist snap at release. The result? Mendoza’s idol wrapped up his NFL career with 500 touchdown throws. When Favre threw, his wrist whipped forward, and his fingers rolled off the ball. With this came the high-speed bullets that fans grew used to. 

Brett Favre‘s hand measured a little over 10 inches. Fernando Mendoza’s is only an inch or so shorter, as his reached the 9.5 mark. But the latter was far more accurate than Favre, achieving a 72.0% completion rate in 2025. And Mendoza delivered such a performance braving all kinds of defenses. Analyst Joel Klatt praised Mendoza during the Hoosiers’ championship run, noting how he delivered clutch throws from the pocket when under pressure.

“The best quarterbacks never throw 50/50 balls,” Klatt said. “They’re always putting the percentage in the wide receiver’s advantage because of the leverage that they throw with.”

Entering the title game, Mendoza had been nearly flawless in the Hoosiers’ first two playoff matchups, throwing eight touchdowns with just five incompletions. Will this throwing talent help Mendoza to be the top pick in the NFL?

Fernando Mendoza’s arm talent gets mixed review

We’ve seen the former Hoosier’s ball grip. However, NFL teams have yet to watch him throw. While Mendoza’s college football resume is enough to woo them, they are still counting on the quarterback’s tape. The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen gave Mendoza good grades as a thrower.

“He doesn’t have an elite arm, but it’s just a tier below, and he can make high-level throws into all areas of the field with pinpoint accuracy and is an excellent deep-ball thrower,” the analyst wrote. “He understands coverages and how to attack them and can throw with proper timing and footwork.”

The fade is a throw that Mendoza excels at. He can fire it with oomph or just throw with a touch, and his back-shoulder ball is as sharp as any quarterback’s in recent seasons. He is also a pro at making difficult throws in long-yardage situations.

Do you remember the Penn State game? Indiana was down 24-20, with the clock under two minutes. That’s when Mendoza took things into his own hands. He completed five throws for 87 yards. The drive ended with the game-winner, and four of those throws were elite-level window shots. Two of them had gone for more than 20 yards.

“Mendoza checks all the boxes,” Favre himself said in an interview with TMZ. When the legend in question has vetted the star Indiana quarterback, it only strengthens his odds of going as the first pick in the draft. Emulating Favre, Fernando Mendoza will be a weapon to watch out for in the league.