Former Alabama quarterback turned ESPN analyst Greg McElroy delivered one of the boldest quarterback evaluations in recent college football memory. He’s placing Fernando Mendoza in rare air during the latest episode of Always College Football.

According to McElroy, Mendoza’s current level of play puts him in a category few have reached over the past decade: “This is not the traditional Indiana football,” McElroy said. 

“This is a Madden simulation that’s set on rookie difficulty. Fernando Mendoza at the center of it all. He is not just physically gifted, but he has that Ivy League processing.”

McElroy went a step further, comparing Mendoza’s efficiency and command of the offense to the very best quarterback season of the modern era: “I look at him and I know there’ve been some great quarterbacks in the last five years, like Caleb Williams, Bryce Young. A bunch of incredible football players,” McElroy added. 

“But this to me feels like one of, if not the best quarterbacks we’ve seen in college football since Joe Burrow.”

Of course, that’s a lofty comparison. Burrow’s rise at LSU was well documented, but Mendoza’s rise has been one of the most compelling storylines in the sport. 

After transferring from Cal to Indiana, he immediately took control of the Hoosiers’ offense, leading it with surgical precision. McElroy highlighted Mendoza’s completion percentage north of 73 percent as evidence of his elite efficiency and decision-making.

“He becomes the CEO of the offense,” McElroy explained. “His story is kind of Shakespearean in some ways.”

That efficiency was on full display in Indiana’s Peach Bowl matchup against Oregon, one of the nation’s top defenses. Facing a unit ranked among the best in pass defense, Mendoza delivered a near-perfect performance.

“He was a cool 17-for-20 for five touchdowns,” McElroy delineated. “That is clinical execution and it just kills you every single snap.”

Moreover, McElroy emphasized Mendoza’s ability to diagnose defenses before the snap, punish coverage mistakes instantly and anticipate windows before they open. Things that have the Indiana offense rolling at the moment.

“He anticipates your move and then boom. He punishes you before the ball even leaves his hand,” McElroy explained.

Beyond the arm talent, McElroy also pointed to an underrated aspect of Mendoza’s game in his mobility. With 429 rushing yards and six touchdowns this season (excluding sack yardage), Mendoza has consistently extended drives with his legs.

“He’s not a burner, but he’s football fast,” McElroy stated. “He’s slippery. You think you’ve got him bottled up on third-and-three, and then boom, he falls forward and it’s a first down.”

As Mendoza continues to carve up defenses, McElroy’s assessment underscores just how special Indiana’s quarterback has become. His name is now being mentioned alongside the very best the sport has seen in the past decade, but we’ll see if he can cap off this run with a national title next week.

The following release is courtesy of Daktronics.

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Fighting Illini turned to Daktronics (NASDAQ-DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, to design, manufacture and install the largest main video display in college football, totaling 17,300+ square feet. The project includes 16 LED displays that combine for more than 26,750 square feet and 30 million pixels at Gies Memorial Stadium on campus at the University of Illinois in Champaign. The project will be completed ahead of the 2026 college football season.

“We are excited to partner with Daktronics to bring the largest videoboard in college football to Gies Memorial Stadium,” said Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. “These new visual resources reflect our commitment to providing one of the nation’s best game day experiences. Under Coach Bielema’s leadership, and with an electric fan base that is now filling our stadium to near capacity, our program has become one of the most successful and exciting in major college football. We are thrilled to make this major investment in our historic stadium – one of the sport’s great venues – as we continue our efforts to enhance the experience for our fans, student-athletes, and others, all with an eye toward building a championship program.”

Main Video Display Details

The new south end zone display will measure approximately 69 feet high by 250 feet wide and will feature a 10-millimeter pixel spacing for high-resolution imagery and improved contrast. The size of the display will allow for larger-than-life content, including live video, instant replays, graphics, animations, game statistics and sponsorship messages.

The display features 16 million pixels and would be the fifth-largest display in professional football. It is roughly the same size as the main outfield display at Citi Field in New York and 3.4 times the size of the main display at Soldier Field in Chicago. For reference, it would take 1,621 60-inch televisions to cover the entire display.

“We’re excited to partner with the University of Illinois on this project to bring the largest display in college football to life,” said Daktronics Vice President of Live Events Jay Parker. “College football is a tradition that brings people together and creates unforgettable moments. This project reflects the passion and scale of college football, and we’re proud to help make those memories even more impactful in Champaign, Illinois.”

Top 10 Largest Displays in College Football

Additional LED Display Details

Supplementing the in-bowl experience, a super ribbon in the north end zone and two sideline ribbon displays are being installed along the seating fascia as well as two field-level displays and eight bleacher displays being installed as well. The north end zone super ribbon measures roughly 12.5 feet high by 180 feet wide and each sideline ribbon measures roughly 4 feet high by 427 feet wide. Both field level displays measure nearly 5.5 feet high by 34 feet wide. All three ribbon displays and both field-level displays feature 10-millimeter pixel spacing.

The eight bleacher displays each measure roughly 5.5 feet high by 12 feet wide and feature a tight 2.9-millimeter pixel spacing. These displays deliver additional statistics, graphics and sponsorship messaging throughout events.

On the backside of the main video display, two video displays face outside of the stadium to connect with fans as they arrive and experience the game-day atmosphere. These displays each measure 29.5 feet high by 52.5 feet wide, feature 10-millimeter pixel spacings and are some of the largest backside displays in college football. Its flexibility allows for pre-game hype videos, post-game victory animations showcasing the score for fans to celebrate, promotional opportunities for upcoming games and university events, and sponsorship or university messaging needs.

Daktronics is also including a complete Show Control solution including Camino with this installation. This industry-leading control system provides a combination of display control software, world-class video processing, data integration and playback hardware that forms a powerful yet user-friendly production solution. The addition of Camino to the control system will provide a new level of functionality to create dynamic, real-time rendered content never before possible in a Daktronics system.

Camino opens up creative possibilities to display visuals in a 2D/3D space, incorporating data-based logic to automate production elements, and developing timelines within a single piece of content so it can react in real time as the event unfolds.

In addition to the equipment installation, the Fighting Illini will also receive a content package that will be produced and delivered by Daktronics Creative Services.

Daktronics has grown with the sports industry from the company’s beginnings in 1968. Today, the company has LED video display installations at hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States. For more information on what Daktronics can provide for the collegiate market, visit www.daktronics.com/college.

About Daktronics

Daktronics helps its customers to impact their audiences throughout the world with large-format LED video displays, message displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, audio systems and control systems in sport, business and transportation applications. Founded in 1968 as a USA-based manufacturing company, Daktronics has grown into the world leader in audiovisual systems and implementation with offices around the globe. Discover more at www.daktronics.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Cautionary Notice: In addition to statements of historical fact, this news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is intended to enjoy the protection of that Act. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events. The Company cautions that these and similar statements involve risk and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, including, but not limited to, changes in economic and market conditions, management of growth, timing and magnitude of future contracts and orders, fluctuations in margins, the introduction of new products and technology, the impact of adverse weather conditions, increased regulation and other risks described in the company’s SEC filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for its 2025 fiscal year. Forward-looking statements are made in the context of information available as of the date stated. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur.

TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — Arizona State ranks somewhere in the middle of the Big 12 Conference for football name, image and likeness (NIL) spending, according to a Tempe-based agent.

Peter Boyle, founder and CEO of Activate Sports Management, said ASU has made significant progress since NIL rules were implemented in July 2021.

“If I were to guess based off what I see when you’re talking about football, which is primarily what people are talking, and men’s basketball,” Boyle said. “Keep in mind, there’s baseball NIL and softball NIL and volleyball. Those programs also have revenue share, although to a much lesser degree. But when it comes to football, I would put ASU somewhere in the middle of the Big 12.”

NIL transforms college sports

More than four years after NIL rules were first put in place, the impacts on college sports are becoming clear.

“It’s professional sports now,” Boyle said. “I have a kind of thing where, when my clients sign their first deal, I say welcome to professional sports. Like it is that.”

Boyle said contracts from some schools include incentive-based payments.

“You literally see contracts from some schools, not the Big 12, but I have clients across all different Power 4 schools that have, like, incentive-based payments in them,” he said. “Like, if you are the Big Ten Player of the Week, that’s another $10,000. So, these are professional sports contracts.”

When it comes to quarterback Sam Leavitt, Boyle believes his move to LSU is largely about money.

ASU’s NIL progress

Universities do not report their NIL dollars publicly, making exact comparisons difficult. However, Boyle said he has insight from running a NIL agency based in Tempe.

Three years ago, Boyle would have ranked ASU at the bottom of the pack. NIL dollars differ by conference, with SEC and Big Ten deals typically exceeding Big 12 amounts, though the gap has narrowed.

Boyle has insider knowledge from ASU athletes he represents.

“What they were making three years ago is what a lot of the roster makes now. And those are the top paid guys,” he said. “So it’s a notable difference for sure.”

Donations versus business deals

ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham recently spoke at Mountain America Stadium about finding a wealthy person in Phoenix who could give the football program $20 million. However, Boyle said large donations are not the answer.

“If a donor gives $20 million today, what does that do? It’s monopoly money,” Boyle said. “Because that’s not a business deal that has true business value that can be put into NIL go and pass the CSC. That’s a donation. That’s the old model.”

Boyle said a large donation could help offset revenue share costs and provide ASU more money for facilities, but if the university is playing by the rules, such a donation would not help with NIL deals.

Business deals are more important in college sports, according to Boyle.

“I think if businesses get involved and they can pass through the CSC and be true NIL deals, then there are certainly businesses that hopefully would get involved that would significantly increase ASU’s value provide above cap or above market deals,” he said.

Boyle said he expects the current NIL system to continue without significant changes and that fans should get used to the new landscape.

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