Fernando Mendoza's path from Columbus in Miami to Heisman finalist

If it hadn't been for Justyn Martin's change of mind and Dave Dunn's persistence, you may not know the name Fernando Mendoza.

You've probably heard of Mendoza by now.

The Indiana quarterback, who graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in Miami in 2022, is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

His current career path has taken Mendoza from Columbus to Cal to Indiana. He's almost a lock to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in April.

It's interesting to wonder if you would still know Mendoza's name if he stuck with his original plan: Yale.

Mendoza picked Cal after the early signing period

Mendoza was committed to Yale throughout his senior year at Columbus. He stuck with them through the early signing period. Then Cal came calling.

Cal had a commitment from Martin early in the recruiting process, but he flipped to UCLA leaving Cal with a void. Meanwhile, Dunn had been "religiously" calling colleges and sending out Mendoza's film throughout his senior year.

"Being a former Division I college recruiting coordinator, I knew he was a Division I quarterback," Dunn said. "You knew he had the ability and just watching how hard he worked day in and day out. His process is pretty detailed, and it's really paid off for him. He just keeps building on getting better each day. You're watching all of that come to fruition."

Bill Musgrave, them the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Cal, started recruiting Mendoza, but didn't push for a quick decision. Musgrave told Mendoza to visit both Cal and Yale and be certain about his decision.

"Cal is such a different lifestyle than down here in Miami," Mendoza told USA TODAY in 2022. "He wanted to make sure I was comfortable with the players and the team. ... After the first night at Cal, I knew it was my home.

"I knew it was somewhere I wanted to be. I knew it was an environment I would bale to succeed in and thrive in."

Mendoza was right. He was outstanding at Cal as a sophomore, throwing for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns. Suddenly, the 134th best senior quarterback in 2022 was the fourth best quarterback in the transfer portal.

For the sake of perspective, Martin was a high school All-American; Mendoza was the 250th best recruit in Florida as a senior at Columbus.

Martin, now a backup at Maryland, rushed for 2 yards this season in mop-up duty against FAU. Mendoza has thrown for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns, rushing for six scores and was named MVP of the Big Ten championship game.

"He's the best player on the No. 1 team in the country," Dunn said. "It's pretty cool. You knew he had the ability. You knew he had the skill, but at this level he's become a great college quarterback."

Mendoza has proved doubters wrong

Dunn feels the biggest strike against Mendoza coming out of high school was his mobility. Not the Mendoza was a statue in the pocket, but Columbus didn't call too many plays that would expose him to big hits.

Other than that, Mendoza had the makeup to succeed at a high level.

"Even when things weren’t going well, he always did a really good job living in the moment. He was pretty unflappable. Never got too high never got too low."

Dunn has watched Mendoza closely since he left Columbus. He went to Winston Salem to see Mendoza's three-touchdown performance against Wake Forest during Columbus' bye week last year.

"He was dialed in," Dunn recalled. "It still amazed me that they took him out of the game at one point. Everybody can second-guess a coach, but I'm like, 'He's ripping it up, he's tearing it up. He should be on the field all the time. I was just watching him. His decision making, his poise in the picket, his accuracy was just next level."

Mendoza has continued to elevate his game and now the whole country has taken notice.

Dunn will be attendance at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City for the Heisman Trophy presentation. Dunn is confident of Mendoza's chances, just as he has been throughout his career.

"There's an absolute sense of pride and fulfillment," Dunn said. "I'm happy for him, his family. He's proven a lot of doubters wrong. He is the poster child for that."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fernando Mendoza's journey from Yale commit to Heisman Trophy finalist