Heisman favorite Fernando Mendoza credits mom Elsa

As a high schooler in the Miami area, there were times when Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza would lie in bed crying as he wondered why no college football coach had offered him a scholarship. The disappointment was compounded because he thought he was better than some of the players receiving Division I offers.

His mother Elsa Mendoza, who was battling multiple sclerosis, encouraged him to remain positive.

“Don’t worry,” Elsa would tell him. “Your first offer is going to come.”

Fernando Mendoza’s first offer to play college football came from Yale. Ivy League schools don’t offer athletic scholarships, but the bright Mendoza understood the significance of an opportunity to attend one of the best universities in the world.

“That was one of the best days of my life,” Mendoza said of the day Yale called. “Then after that, she’s like, ‘You’re going to get a Power 4 offer.’ I’m like, ‘Mami, FIU and FAU aren’t even offering me. How am I going to get a Power 4 offer?’”

Mother knows best

Elsa Mendoza, who played tennis at the University of Miami, was right. Her eldest son accepted a college scholarship from Cal Berkeley. 

Despite how easy he makes it look now as a redshirt junior at Indiana, Fernando Mendoza’s journey hasn’t been easy. Doubt crept in as he struggled with the pace as a freshman at Cal, but Elsa would tell him he was “doing great.” 

Fernando remembers his mother telling him that he would turn the Cal program around. Doubts persisted, though. 

“I’m like, ‘I don’t even know. I’m on the sideline here. I don’t even know if I can play. These guys are moving so fast,’” he says. “Whatever she said has came to light, and I just can’t thank her enough for everything that she’s been a part of my journey. And that is really my ‘why.’”

Family affair

Despite a strong redshirt freshman year at Cal, he was forced to compete for the starting job again before last season. He wasn’t named the starter last year at Cal until late in fall camp. Fernando Mendoza won the job and eventually earned three ACC Quarterback of the Week honors. 

The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder threw for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns over 11 games last season before entering the transfer portal. He also earned his business administration degree from Cal in three years.

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Mendoza joined his younger brother Alberto, a backup quarterback, at Indiana. Fernando Mendoza has become a household name in college football, and for good reason. The Heisman Trophy front-runner has helped lead the No. 2-ranked Indiana Hoosiers to an 11-0 record with one week left in the regular season. 

He has not achieved this success alone. Fernando Mendoza has been guided by his mother Elsa and father Fernando Sr., who have been by his side throughout his entire journey. 

Mom’s inspiration

“Our mom was always my inspiration in life from a young age,” he says. “She’s the one that taught me to throw a football. Throughout a young age, she was always there by my side.

“She was the overprotective mom per se, and she has always been a positive light and inspiration before and after MS. And to see her maintain that positivity and light through what she’s been struggling with, it’s never (given) myself an excuse to have a bad day.”

That positive mindset has helped him navigate his path in becoming a Heisman Trophy favorite. Just a few years ago, he was only a three-star recruit out of Miami’s Columbus High School, where he received only one Power Four offer.

Mendoza started 19 games over three seasons at Cal. He threw for 30 touchdowns and 4,712 yards as a Bear. He also produced one of the nine 3,000-yard passing seasons in Cal history in 2024. 

This season Fernando has thrown for a school record 30 touchdown passes with 2,641 passing yards and only five interceptions. The proud Cuban American has the chance to join Jim Plunkett and Bryce Young as the third Latino to win the Heisman Trophy in the award’s 90-year history. 

It’s fair to say nobody expected Fernando Mendoza to become a Heisman Trophy candidate coming out of high school. One recruiting service ranked Mendoza as the 134th best quarterback in the Class of 2022. 

Surprise Heisman favorite

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was coaching at then-FCS James Madison University in 2022, and he didn’t recruit Mendoza. Actually, Cignetti didn’t even know who Fernando was at the time.

“I became aware of him when we signed his brother, Alberto, at JMU and then Alberto came with us when we came to Indiana (in 2024),” Cignetti said. “Being the film junkie I am and making all the different cutups, occasionally I’d see plays from Fernando at Cal, and then when he went in the portal.

“Obviously watched a lot of game tape on him and just really liked his stuff, the physical — all the stuff you see, the quick release, the arm, the mobility. He’s a great person.”

Cignetti praises Mendoza for his intelligence and how he prepares. Mendoza was offered by Yale and Cal for a reason, after all. Fernando has enjoyed being reunited with his younger brother.

“Alberto and I play football not for ourselves, not for fulfillment and satisfaction of ourselves,” Fernando said. “We have a lot of ‘whys’ why we do it for. One of the whys is our mom. 

“Another why is our entire family. Our entire family comes from a Cuban background. All of our grandparents were born and raised in Cuba, and that’s something we always take deeply to heart.”