University of Indiana Quarterback Fernando Mendoza

Fernando Mendoza V (born October 1, 2003) is an American college football quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers. He previously played for the California Golden Bears.

Mendoza was born in Miami, Florida, and is the grandson of Cuban immigrants. He attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. As a quarterback on the football team, Mendoza completed 133 of his 203 pass attempts for 1,396 yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions, while also adding 137 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He originally committed to play college football at Yale University before deciding to flip to the University of California, Berkeley.

The youth movement at quarterback has finally arrived in Cleveland.

The Browns have ditched the Joe Flacco plan and are now getting an extended look at rookie signal-caller Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders is now one injury away from getting his chance.

But Cleveland is 0-2 since making that switch and Gabriel hasn't exactly lit the world on fire. The Browns have 11 more games to evaluate their young signal-callers, but there's a very realistic chance neither one cements themselves as Cleveland's long-term solution at the position.

If that's how things play out, the Browns could dip into the 2026 NFL draft for yet another quarterback, and Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema sees that happening.

With the No. 2 overall pick in his latest mock draft, Sikkema has the Browns taking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who Sikkema believes has elite arm talent among the top quarterback prospects in college football.

Mendoza had some fans coming into the season after showing some promise in 2024 at Cal – though he did produce more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws. This season at Indiana, he’s taken his game to a more consistent level with five big-time throws, three turnover-worthy plays and an 81.0 passing grade. He also might have the best overall arm talent of the top quarterbacks right now, outside of South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers.

Mendoza had two productive years at Cal before transferring to Indiana for this year. Since then, he is taking his game to another level.

Mendoza has shown impressive accuracy with a 71.2% completion rate, and he has thrown for 1,423 yards and 17 touchdowns to two interceptions. At this rate, the Indiana quarterback could be the top quarterback in next year's class, although Mendoza isn't a lock to come out because he's a junior.

At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Mendoza has the size you want in a quarterback, and he displays impressive pocket presence and arm strength that allows him to make all the throws, and he has enough mobility to extend plays.

While decision-making and accuracy were issues at times in the past, Mendoza has shown vast improvement in both areas this season, which shows his development as a player is moving in the right direction.

If the Browns don't see enough out of Gabriel and Sanders in 2025 and Mendoza is on the board when Cleveland is on the clock in 2026, the team shouldn't hesitate to turn its card in for the Indiana star.

He's smelling an entire Keebler factory of cookies in that photo at OP......

Who’s her?

He's super Jesus-y in all interviews.

Why would he ditch Yale for Berkeley?

R5, is he MAGA?

Big turnoff, if so.

she looks like she’s smelled a cookie or two.

Another vote for repressed, Christian cookie inhaler. They can see those ruby slippers from space.

Who is she? Who was she? Who does she hope to be?

R6 Why would he ditch Berkeley for Indiana?

Easy. $$$$$$$

Also probably a better funnel to the NFL.

Op: it is Indiana University, not U of Indiana…as any college football would know.

R7 No, he’s not.

R6 why wouldn’t he trade up for a full athletic scholarship, a starting role with a Power 4 conference team…and it’s Berzerkley! Berkeley faculty and alumni won four Nobel Prizes last week, plus a MacArthur genius award. The new US Poet Laureate is from Berkeley. Berkeley was founded in large part by Yalies (Yale Blue is a school color) but it stands in its own terms.

R12 mostly correct. His brother was already at Indiana. There was a bit of turmoil at the end of the last Cal season, so he entered the portal and got a great deal. He left Berkeley on good terms (beating Stanford in the Big Game was 💫💫). He’s now a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy—Cal football fans wish him well. Fun fact: Berkeley has produced more Super Bowl quarterbacks than any other college team.

¡Vamos osos!

[QUOTE]Op: it is Indiana University, not U of Indiana…as any college football would know.

Don't be too harsh on him, r14. I was an AI at IU for four years. (Assistant Instructor was the title for TAs back then in my department). The grad students had to teach a semester of Experimental Methods which required a weekly write up with cover page, abstract, methods and results. I got a handful with "University of Indiana" on the cover page, as did everybody else teaching the course (there were many sections). We were startled.

What made it better was that it was a much disliked, but required course which was recommended to be taken freshman or sophomore year, but most took it junior or senior year.