Fernando Mendoza no stranger to winning from his days at Columbus (Fla.)

Some folks watching college football might be scratching their head every Saturday wondering where the heck did quarterback Fernando Mendoza come from all of sudden, leading the Indiana Hoosiers to a 13-0 record.

Mendoza isn’t a late bloomer when it comes to playing winning football at the quarterback position as the signal caller has been celebrating victories well beyond his current college days. All of the success began down in the 305 while playing for Miami Columbus from 2018-2021.

Reaching a state championship game as the starter, though, didn’t happen for Mendoza until his senior year in 2021 when the quarterback fueled the Explorers to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) Class 8A state championship game, falling to Venice in a 35-7 decision.

Through 12 games in his senior season, Mendoza ended up completing 107 of 169 passes for 1,169 yards, 11 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Mendoza also showed the ability to run if needed, going for 140 yards and a touchdown in 2021.

Mendoza played with a team-first attitude at Columbus, coached by Dave Dunn, who would also coach his younger brother, Alberto, to a couple state championships. Now even as a Heisman hopeful, Mendoza remains committed to the team-first approach he had when he was playing high school football in Miami.

“You know, I don’t want to go in deep depth in with the Heisman, but I remember Coach Cignetti brought me in after, I think it was after UCLA, and he told me, he was like, hey, the Heisman’s a team game,” Mendoza said after the Big Ten Championship game. “It’s a team award. It’s not a player award. And if you win, then you can get nominated for it.”

“Hopefully, you know, I would love the opportunity to get the invite to New York, which would be fantastic. But I think it’s just really a testament to the team. And it’s not a player award. It’s a team award.”

Mendoza now awaits with three others to see if he will end up hearing his name get called on Saturday night in New York City when it comes to potentially winning the Heisman Trophy award.

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