Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is reportedly set to enjoy a taste of Florida after his home-state Hoosiers pulled off a historic victory, defeating the University of Miami in Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship. The win means Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be sending Braun stone crabs and key lime pie, honoring a friendly wager between the two Republican governors.
DeSantis recounted the bet during a press conference focused on nursing education, explaining that Braun had offered Indiana’s signature pork tenderloin and sugar cream pie if Miami’s Hurricanes won the title. DeSantis joked that those Midwestern specialties were “I’m sure good, don’t get me wrong,” but the tables turned when Indiana emerged victorious. Now it is DeSantis who owes Braun some of Florida’s most famous culinary staples.
Under the terms of the wager, Braun is set to receive stone crabs and key lime pie from Joe’s Stone Crab, the well-known Miami Beach restaurant that was ranked as the best eating spot in Florida by Chef Standards last July. DeSantis acknowledged the mismatch in the trade, quipping that there was “a little bit of an imbalance there,” a remark that drew laughter from those in attendance.
The payoff followed a remarkable night for Indiana football. The Hoosiers completed a perfect 16-0 season with a 27-21 victory over Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The championship capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college football history for a program that, until November, held the record for the most losses all time.
Led by head coach Curt Cignetti and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Indiana defied expectations throughout the season and then finished the job on the sport’s biggest stage. DeSantis publicly congratulated the team after the game, posting on X that Indiana had delivered a flawless season unlike any other in the expanded playoff era.
“Congrats to Indiana on a perfect 16-0 season,” DeSantis wrote. He praised the Hoosiers for having the best player and the best coach, adding that given the program’s long history of struggles, the achievement might be the greatest in college football history.
The Florida governor also singled out a key moment in the game, calling Mendoza’s fourth-quarter touchdown run a “gutsy call” by Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan. DeSantis described the play as amazing, noting how it helped put the Hoosiers ahead by two scores and sealed the victory.
Braun, who attended the championship game in person, also took to social media after the final whistle. He wrote that Indiana showed grit, discipline, and heart all season, adding that the team delivered for Hoosiers everywhere when it mattered most.
With the wager settled, DeSantis joked Tuesday that he could deliver the stone crabs and key lime pie to Marco Island off the coast of Miami Beach, noting with a laugh that “half of Indiana” seems to be there this time of year. The lighthearted exchange added a dose of humor to a championship celebration that will be remembered in Indiana for generations.
