A 10-year-old superfan of Indiana football is headed to the national championship game.
The Hoosiers, including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, put together the news in a heartfelt video to Drew Shouse, who has a rare heart defect and was matched with the program in 2023 through Team IMPACT. Shouse has mitral valve regurgitation and aortic stenosis.
‘There’s no way we could go to the national championship without you,’ Mendoza said.
Isaiah Jones added: ‘We can’t go without the heart and soul of our team.’
Shouse scored a touchdown at Indiana’s spring game in 2024, choosing Indiana football through Team Impact, which connects children facing serious illnesses with a college athletics team. Team Impact surprised him with tickets for Indiana’s 38-3 win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl earlier in the College Football Playoff.
Jones was the first player to meet Shouse, according to the IndyStar. He was also taken on a shopping spree by Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt met with him pregame against Old Dominion on Aug. 30.
Shouse underwent two open-heart surgeries before he was nine months old. He had a third procedure in 2017 but has since progressed to seeing a cardiologist once a year. He’ll likely need one more open-heart surgery when he’s older.
The Hoosiers will have their biggest fan and inspiration on the field when they take on No. 10 Miami on Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“Drew is an inspiration to all of us on the team,” IU quarterback Tyler Cherry said. “He’s a fighter and seeing him battle through what he has been through motivates all the players to keep going every day.”