It All Started Here: Fernando Mendoza

Long before leading Indiana University to its first national championship in football, Fernando Mendoza was an under-recruited quarterback at Christopher Columbus High School in South Florida.

Playing for one of the state’s top programs, Mendoza gradually worked his way into a starting role with the Explorers. As a sophomore in 2019, he served as a backup quarterback when CCHS won the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 8A championship, appearing in just five games.

By his junior year, Mendoza had helped the Explorers rise as high as No. 14 in the national rankings. He earned first-team All- Dade County honors after leading the team to a 9-0 record, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic the program opted not to participate in the state tournament and instead won the 8A Gold Division title in the Tri-County Championship Series.

As a senior in 2022, Mendoza played in 12 games, throwing for 1,109 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 63.3 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, leading the Explorers to a Tri-County Gold title, a berth in the FHSAA Class 8A state semifinals and an 11-3 record. He finished his high school career with 2,222 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and a 67.5% completion rate.

Mendoza also played tennis and was a Silver Knight Awards nominee, which recognizes academic excellence and community service among seniors in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. He was also the campus ministry president, school vice president, social media director for the honors program while at CCHS.

A three-star football recruit, Mendoza redshirted his first season collegiate season at the University of California, Berkeley. Over two seasons at Cal, he threw for 4,732 yards, 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, helping the Golden Bears to a 12-14 record.

After transferring to Indiana, Mendoza emerged as a household name. He led the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record and a national championship while winning the Heisman Trophy, among numerous other honors. Mendoza threw for 3,335 yards and a nation-leading 41 touchdowns with six interceptions, completing 72 percent of his passes. He also added 243 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

With his success at Indiana, Mendoza opted to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft. On April 23, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick.

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations at the NFHS.