Saturday Prospect Spotlight: Fernando Mendoza's Big Opportunity
The hidden gem of the quarterback class takes center stage Saturday night.
This weekend has enough juice that I had to write on it twice. We covered the two Utah tackle prospects yesterday and now we have to get to the game this evening that will have me glued to my seat. But before we get there, a reminder there are some other great games on the slate with other quarterback prospects of significance. Missouri hosts a reeling South Carolina team that will have LaNorris Sellers back and the team in desperation mode. Miami and Carson Beck host Florida in a premier Sunshine State battle. John Mateer and Oklahoma host a very talented Auburn team in a duel of undefeated teams and the last sneaky one is Dante Moore, who is charging up draft boards, and his Oregon squad take on Oregon State in the Civil War. What a fun slate.
Reminder: The Browns have TWO first round picks coming in this year's NFL Draft, each Saturday we will highlight a player worth watching with the Browns’ prospect preferences in mind! Obviously we will focus on the highest-ranked prospects this year because the Browns could have a wide range of outcomes for their pick, but we will expand beyond that scope at times.
It will be impossible to think about the 2026 Cleveland Browns without thinking about who their next quarterback selection could be so that will be a consistent theme of these spotlights throughout the year, but I promise we will branch out in other ways as well.
For today, let’s now focus in on the B1G’s biggest game of the week. Not in Columbus, or State College, or Ann Arbor, or Eugene. The game is over in Bloomington, Indiana as the Hoosiers take on Illinois in a battle of Top-20 teams as quarterback Fernando Mendoza finally gets the big stage.
History
Mendoza was born in Miami with Cuban heritage as he attended Christopher Columbus High School. He originally committed to Yale but a late offer from Cal was too good to pass up so he chose to head West. He was redshirted during the 2022 season before winning the job by Week 6 of the 2023 season. He thrived in 2024 and was awarded ACC Quarterback of the Week three times. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cal in just three years before transferring to Indiana for the 2025 season.
Stats
2022: Redshirt
2023: 153-243, 1,708 yards, 14 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 2 rush touchdowns
2024: 265-386, 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 2 rush touchdowns
2025: (3 Games) 55-76, 708 yards, 9 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 2 rush TDs
Scouting Report
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