Everybody knows Fernando Mendoza now as Indiana’s former quarterback who, alongside his head coach Curt Cignetti, orchestrated one of the greatest runs in college football history.
However, a year ago, that wasn’t the case, as many doubted Mendoza, called him a traitor, and had no belief he could amount to anything at Indiana. He knew he needed to improve. He set a goal for September and created a plan to take steps to achieve it.
Fernando Mendoza Opens Up On Indiana Transfer, National Championship Run
Mendoza started his college career at California with two so-so seasons. The young quarterback threw for 1,708 yards and 14 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in his freshman season and followed that with 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns with 6 interceptions in his sophomore season.
According to PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metric, in his two years at Cal, Mendoza finished ranked 88th (73.8 impact score) and 39th (77.6 impact score) among college quarterbacks. With Indiana, he posted an impact score of 93.3 and finished as the second-highest-rated quarterback.
That’s when Mendoza entered the transfer portal and landed at Indiana, and while many may not have known it at the time, it was the perfect match with Cignetti and the Hoosiers.
However, a lot of people did not like Mendoza’s decision to transfer. Rumors swirled, and there was name-calling, all of which the young quarterback took to heart.
Mendoza is a very system-driven individual and cherishes the relationships he builds so they last through the dark times, but some of those relationships broke because of his decision.
“It was a dark moment, very lonely. Very tough leaving all my friends at Cal,” Mendoza told Esquire. “And it was demeaning, some of the rumors and lies that were said about me. ‘He’s a traitor,’ things like that.
“That stuff really hurt me, because you try to make those relationships and then they get dwindled out,” Mendoza added. “And that sucks.”
While Mendoza was joining his brother, Alberto, at Indiana, who showed him around campus, it didn’t mean the transition wasn’t difficult and filled with questions.
“I was taking a big risk on myself. Maybe I’m gonna look like an idiot if I swing for the fences and I whiff,” Mendoza said. “What if Cal has a better season than I do at Indiana? Or what if I just don’t pan out and everyone’s like, ‘Why did you even leave?’ Not only do you maybe burn the bridge you left on; you also have a mountain to climb in front of you because, new quarterback, new expectations.”
So Mendoza reverted back to the core of who he was: analyzing the situation, understanding it, and creating a plan to succeed.
That’s exactly what he did. He spent time with his teammates, playing board games and getting to know them — building those relationships once again. And on the field, working on specific aspects of his game to get him where he wanted to be.
A player Mendoza looked up to was Tom Brady, but he made sure not to do things exactly the way Brady did because he’s not the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
The Hoosiers quarterback leaned on discipline, determination, and faith, and wouldn’t let anything get in the way. Fast forward to now, Mendoza has won over most of college football with his performances and seems to be a lock for the No. 1 pick.
While Brady is the player he looked up to, he faces a more difficult challenge because the legendary quarterback had no expectations coming out of college.
Mendoza, after winning the national championship and the Heisman Trophy, has all the expectations — to turn around a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in more than two decades.
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The Las Vegas Raiders lost in the Wild Card game in their lone winning season since they moved from Oakland, and they have just two playoff appearances since the 2002 season, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 37.
While the expectation is sky high for Mendoza, he’ll continue to approach the game the same way he always has — the way that guided him to a national championship and Hiesman Trophy.
