Fernando Mendoza headlines AP’s all-College Football Playoff team after leading Indiana to title
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza spent the College Football Playoff showing the nation just why he earned the Heisman Trophy.
Mendoza threw more touchdown passes (eight) than incompletions (five) in Indiana’s first two playoff victories — lopsided wins over Alabama in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal and Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal. His statistics weren’t quite as impressive in Monday’s 27-21 championship game victory over Miami, but he showed plenty of poise and guile while returning to his hometown.
Mendoza delivered the signature moment of this playoff with his 12-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-4 play to extend Indiana’s lead to 24-14 in the fourth quarter. He also avoided any turnovers while getting harassed all night by Miami’s superstar defensive line duo of Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor.
All three of those players were easy choices for the Associated Press’ all-playoff team. As we did with our all-bowl team that included top players from all the non-playoff bowl games, we made room for four defensive linemen, four linebackers and five defensive backs to account for all different types of defensive schemes.
Here’s a rundown of our top playoff performers at each position.
QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Mendoza completed nearly three-quarters of his passes for 555 yards with eight touchdown passes, one touchdown run and no turnovers in the playoff. He was 14 of 16 with three touchdowns in the 38-3 rout of Alabama and 17 of 20 with five touchdowns in the 56-22 blowout of Oregon.
RB Mark Fletcher, Miami
Fletcher rushed for at least 90 yards in each of Miami’s four playoff games and totaled 507 yards rushing on 75 CFP carries. He ran for 172 yards on just 17 carries in a 10-3 win at Texas A&M. He had 19 carries for 90 yards plus a 25-yard touchdown catch in Miami’s 24-14 Cotton Bowl quarterfinal upset of Ohio State. He ran for 133 yards on 22 carries in a 31-27 Fiesta Bowl triumph over Mississippi. Against Indiana, Fletcher rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts.
RB Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
Lacy rushed for 288 yards and four touchdowns in three playoff games. He ran for 87 yards on 15 attempts in a 41-10 first-round win over Tulane. Lacy had 22 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-34 Sugar Bowl quarterfinal upset of Georgia. In Ole Miss’ loss to Miami, Lacy had 11 carries for 103 yards, including a 73-yard score.
WR Charlie Becker, Indiana
Becker made a critical fourth-and-5 reception on Indiana’s final touchdown drive and a third-and-7 reception on the Hoosiers’ last possession in the championship game. He had four catches for 65 yards against Miami after scoring touchdowns in each of Indiana’s first two playoff wins.
WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Ohio State’s playoff appearance lasted only one game, but Smith made the most of it with seven catches for 157 yards and a touchdown against Miami. The AP All-America first-team pick has 26 receptions for 538 yards and six touchdowns in five career playoff games.
WR De’Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss
Stribling caught 17 passes for 278 yards in three playoff games. He had five catches for 79 yards and his lone playoff touchdown against Tulane. Stribling followed that up with seven receptions for 122 yards against Georgia and five catches for 77 yards against Miami.
TE Jamari Johnson, Oregon
Johnson had a 41-yard touchdown catch in Oregon’s 51-34 first-round victory over James Madison. He caught four passes for 66 yards in a 23-0 Orange Bowl quarterfinal triumph over Texas Tech and had four receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown against Indiana.
All-purpose Malachi Toney, Miami
Toney had 10 catches for 219 yards in three playoff games while constantly showing his ability to turn short completions into long gains. He had 10 catches for 122 yards against Indiana, including a 22-yard pitch he caught in the backfield and turned into a 22-yard touchdown. Toney, an AP All-America second-team selection, also had a 55-yard punt return against Texas A&M.
OT Markel Bell, Miami
Miami’s starting left tackle didn’t allow any sacks in four playoff games, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF gave him a game-high 88.2 pass block rating for the championship matchup with Indiana.
OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami
This AP All-America first-team right tackle allowed no sacks and just one quarterback hit in four playoff games, according to PFF. The Miami duo of Bell and Mauigoa earned a spot on this team over Indiana left tackle Carter Smith, an AP All-America second-team pick who starred in the Hoosiers’ first two playoff contests but struggled against the Hurricanes.
C Pat Coogan, Indiana
Coogan performed so well in Indiana’s victory over Alabama that he became the first offensive lineman to get selected as a Rose Bowl most valuable player since Southern California’s Norm Verry in 1944. He also had the highest PFF rating of any Indiana offensive lineman in the championship game.
OG Drew Evans, Indiana
Evans missed Indiana’s CFP game a year ago after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury and sat out four games late in the 2025 regular season with an ankle issue, but he came back to produce a solid playoff this time around. Evans didn’t allow a single sack and gave up just one quarterback hit in three playoff games, according to PFF.
OG Bray Lynch, Indiana
Lynch didn’t allow any sacks or quarterback hits in three playoff games, according to PFF. The interior trio of Evans, Coogan and Lynch helped Indiana total 400 yards rushing in its first two playoff games.
DE Rueben Bain, Miami
The Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year totaled five sacks and eight tackles for loss in four playoff games. Bain, an AP All-America second-team selection, had three sacks and four tackles for loss against Texas A&M. He closed his brilliant season by collecting eight tackles — 2 ½ for loss — and one sack against Indiana.
DE Akheem Mesidor, Miami
Mesidor recorded 5 ½ sacks in the playoffs. He collected two sacks each against Indiana and Ohio State, and he had 1 ½ against Texas A&M.
DT Will Echoles, Ole Miss
Echoles recorded 17 tackles in three playoff games and delivered half a sack against Miami. According to PFF, Echoles graded out at over 70 in Ole Miss’ victories over Tulane and Georgia. PFF credited Echoles with six hurries in Ole Miss’ three playoff contests.
DT Tyrique Tucker, Indiana
This AP All-America selection’s presence in the middle helped limit Alabama to 23 yards rushing on 17 carries in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal. PFF gave him the second-highest rating of any Indiana defensive player in the victory over Oregon.
LB Bryce Boettcher, Oregon
Boettcher was Oregon’s leading tackler in each of its three playoff games. He had nine tackles and three quarterback hurries against James Madison. He collected 12 tackles and forced a fumble in the Ducks’ shutout of Texas Tech. He had 11 tackles and broke up a pass against Indiana.
LB Aiden Fisher, Indiana
Fisher recorded a sack in Indiana’s victories over Alabama and Miami. He also forced a fumble in the Alabama game. The AP All-America third-team selection totaled 20 tackles – 4 ½ for loss — in Indiana’s three playoff games.
LB Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss
Perkins had 2 ½ sacks and six tackles for loss in three playoff games. He forced and recovered a fumble in each of Ole Miss’ first two playoff contests. Perkins had seven tackles and 1 ½ sacks against Miami.
LB Mohamed Toure, Miami
Toure had a game-high 11 tackles against Indiana after recording a sack in Miami’s semifinal win over Ole Miss. He totaled 30 tackles in four playoff games.
DB Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami
Fitzgerald frankly didn’t play very much in Miami’s last three playoff games, but the Hurricanes might not have advanced beyond the first round without him. Fitzgerald had two interceptions against Texas A&M, including a game-clinching pick in the end zone on a third-and-goal play from the 5-yard line. Fitzgerald’s performance in that one game earned him a spot on this team.
DB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
Ponds scored on a 25-yard interception return on the opening snap of Indiana’s semifinal win over Oregon, and he forced a fumble that led to a touchdown against Alabama.
DB Keionte Scott, Miami
Scott scored on a 72-yard interception return against Ohio State after forcing a fumble and producing 10 tackles and two sacks against Texas A&M.
DB Jamari Sharpe, Indiana
Sharpe clinched the Hoosiers’ championship game victory by intercepting a pass in the final minute after Miami had reached Indiana territory.
DB Jakobe Thomas, Miami
Thomas totaled 27 tackles in four playoff games. He made nine stops against Texas A&M, produced an interception against Ohio State and broke up two passes against Ole Miss.
K Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss
Carneiro went 9 of 10 on field-goal attempts in the playoffs and was 4 of 5 from at least 50 yards out. Carneiro was spectacular against Georgia, as he made field goals of 55, 56 and 47 yards. His lone miss was a 51-yarder against Miami, but he also made kicks from 42, 58, 54 and 21 yards out in that game.
P Mitch McCarthy, Indiana
McCarthy averaged 46.6 yards on 10 playoff punts. He averaged 48.2 yards on his five punts in the championship game, with two of his attempts pinning Miami inside its own 20-yard line.
Special Teams Mikail Kamara, Indiana
Rather than giving an all-playoff team spot to a kick returner, we’ll use this spot to honor the guy who made the biggest special-teams moment of any CFP game. Kamara, a starting defensive lineman for Indiana, blocked a punt that Isaiah Jones recovered in the end zone for a touchdown in the third quarter of the championship game.
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