Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza announced Friday his intention to declare for the NFL draft, but this was more than just an announcement. It's the start of a lifelong dream.
"If I was drafted by any team, I'd be so grateful," Mendoza told ABC's "Good Morning America. "It would be a dream come true from a two-star recruit."
Mendoza said it's the true underdog story that even movie scripts couldn't duplicate.
"We never expected to win the national championship... So having that belief in ourselves and then finally winning it, we made sure to party hard after," Mendoza said. "So the sleep has not let it sunk in yet, however, it is slowly, slowly sinking in, and we're all very happy."
Mendoza's heroics in the Hoosiers' 27-21 win against the Miami Hurricanes solidified them as one of the best teams in modern college football history.
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"'I had to go airborne," Mendoza told ESPN about the scramble-turned-touchdown after the game. "I'd die for my team. Whatever they need me to do. They need me to take shots in the front or the back, whatever it is, I'm gonna die for my team out there and I know they're going to do the same for me."
Mendoza said he appreciates the fans who have stuck through it all.
"I just can't thank Indiana fandom enough, anybody that's donated [to the National MS Society], and just all this overwhelming support that we're getting as a family," Mendoza said.
Now, it's off to the next chapter of Mendoza's career.
Come April, the near-improbable journey will become a reality.
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