Career Summary

Fernando Mendoza's route to the NFL took him from Miami to California, then to a championship season at Indiana. The quarterback won the 2025 Heisman Trophy and helped the Hoosiers finish 16-0 before the Las Vegas Raiders made him the first overall pick in the 2026 draft.

He spent three college seasons at Cal before transferring to Indiana for 2025. His final college season produced 3,535 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes. The Raiders announced his rookie signing on July 23, 2026, opening the professional chapter of a career already distinguished by major college honors.

Section reviewed 2026-09-08

Early Life

Mendoza grew up in Miami, Florida. His younger brother, Alberto, also became a college quarterback, giving Fernando a family connection to Indiana before he joined the Hoosiers.

When Fernando committed to Indiana, Alberto was already on its roster. In a spring 2025 interview, Fernando explained that having his brother's playbook available over semester break helped him start learning the offense before arriving on campus.

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High School

Mendoza played his freshman season at Belen Jesuit High School before continuing at Christopher Columbus in Miami. At Columbus, he served as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons and also played varsity tennis.

His junior season brought first-team All-Dade County recognition. Beyond athletics, Cal's biography records school leadership and tutoring roles, including service as Columbus school vice president and a lead tutor in its Y-Teach program.

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College Career

Mendoza began his college career at California in 2022, redshirting his first season. He appeared in nine games in 2023 and passed for 1,708 yards and 14 touchdowns, then increased those totals to 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns across 11 games in 2024.

After transferring to Indiana, Mendoza started all 16 games in 2025. He finished with 273 completions in 379 attempts, 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes and six interceptions. His 72.0 percent completion rate set an Indiana single-season mark, while his touchdown passes led the FBS.

Indiana capped the season by beating Miami 27-21 in the national championship game on January 19, 2026. With the Hoosiers protecting a narrow fourth-quarter lead, Mendoza scored on a fourth-down quarterback run from the Miami 12-yard line. The victory completed Indiana's unbeaten 16-0 season.

Section reviewed 2026-09-08

Path to the NFL

Fernando Mendoza reached the NFL as the first overall pick in the 2026 draft. The Las Vegas Raiders announced his signing on July 23, 2026, after a college career at California and Indiana.

Mendoza spent 2022 through 2024 at California before his final college season at Indiana in 2025. That season brought a Heisman Trophy and an undefeated, 16-0 national championship campaign for the Hoosiers.

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NFL Career

Mendoza's first Raiders offseason included a quarterback competition with Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell. On September 2, 2026, head coach Klint Kubiak named Cousins the starter for Week 1.

That announcement places Mendoza's early NFL story in context: his selection at the top of the draft did not make him the opening-week starter. This account covers the Raiders' announced quarterback decision through September 8, 2026; it does not project when Mendoza will receive a starting opportunity.

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Career Accomplishments

Mendoza became Indiana's first Heisman Trophy winner on December 13, 2025. He received 643 first-place votes and 2,362 points, finishing first in each of the award's six voting regions.

• 2025: Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey O'Brien Award and AP Player of the Year.
• 2025: Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback of the Year.
• 2025 season postseason: Big Ten Championship Game MVP, Peach Bowl Offensive MVP and national championship game Offensive MVP.
• 2026: First overall NFL draft selection, becoming Indiana's second No. 1 pick after Corbett Davis in 1938.

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Playing Style

In an Indiana spring 2025 interview, Mendoza described learning an offense through its underlying concepts, then adapting to its terminology, progressions and footwork. He emphasized understanding protections and play mechanics while becoming comfortable with shifts, motion and run-pass options.

His passing was central to Indiana's offense, but his legs supplied a decisive play in the national title game. On fourth-and-four, Indiana called a quarterback draw, and Mendoza turned the run into a 12-yard touchdown. It was a concrete example of how he could contribute beyond throwing the ball.

Section reviewed 2026-09-08