who was mvp of national championship game

February 18, 2026

Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana Hoosiers quarterback, was the offensive MVP of the most recent College Football Playoff national championship game, and Mikail Kamara, an Indiana defensive lineman, was the defensive MVP.

Latest national championship MVPs

For the January 2026 CFP National Championship, Fernando Mendoza earned offensive MVP honors for leading Indiana to a 27–21 win over Miami, including a crucial rushing touchdown.

Mikail Kamara was named defensive MVP after a game-changing blocked punt that directly set up a touchdown and shifted the momentum to Indiana.

Recent seasons context

In the previous title game (January 2025), Ohio State’s Will Howard (QB) was offensive MVP and Cody Simon (LB) was defensive MVP in a win over Notre Dame.

Michigan’s 2024 national championship run featured Blake Corum as offensive MVP and Will Johnson as defensive MVP in their victory over Washington.

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