Indiana University football recently won their first-ever national championship on January 19. Star quarterback Fernando Mendoza, is partially responsible for the victory. The 22-year old quarterback became a sensation during the 2025-2026 football season, leading his team in a 16-0 record. This is just the tip of the iceberg for the young superstar.
Mendoza graduated from Christopher Columbus High school in Westchester, Florida. Eighteen-year-old Mendoza, a 2 star rookie when he graduated, was declined a walk-on position for the Miami Hurricanes, the team he would later face in the college national championship. What makes this refusal worse is that Fernando’s mother was an attendee at the same university. Additionally, Fernando’s father used to play with the head coach of the Hurricanes and even lives near the campus.
After he was rejected, Mendoza applied to the University of California Berkeley. There, he played in the Pac-12, an athletic conference composed of western states such as California, Utah, Oregon, and Washington State. Playing three seasons for the UC Berkeley Golden Bears, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Mendoza transferred from California to Indiana University at the start of the 2025-2026 season to join his younger brother Alberto, who was already a part of the Hoosier roster as a back-up quarterback. Additionally, Mendoza was confident in head coach Curt Cognetti’s ability to help him improve in time for the NFL. He was proven right when he led his team to becoming victorious in the National Championship, the first time ever for Indiana.
Mendoza was recently nominated for the Heisman trophy along with Diego Pavia, the quarterback for Vanderbilt. He beat Pavia and is now the 18th recipient of the Heisman ever in history.
It is safe to say that Fernando Mendoza ended his latest season on a good note as he has become eligible for the 2026 NFL draft. The redshirt junior is being considered by the Las Vegas Raiders, who have the first-round pick. The next steps for this talented player are sure to be exciting.