Born and raised in Florida, Fernando was a star at Columbus High School, slinging passes with accuracy and leading his team to state championship. He originally committed to Yale but flip , and he picked Cal Berkeley, figuring the West Coast vibe would sharpen his game. But things didn't explode right away. He redshirted his first year, learned the ropes, and eventually got starts, throwing for over 3,000 yards in his last season there. Still, he felt like he needed more a program where he could truly shine.

So he enter his name in portal and he transferred to Indiana University for the 2025 season. The Hoosiers? Yeah, they weren't exactly known as football powerhouses. But under coach Curt Cignetti, things were changing. Mendoza stepped in as the starter, and man, did he deliver. From the get-go, he turned heads. In the opener against Florida International, he lit it up with 285 yards and a couple of touchdowns, setting the tone for a season no one saw coming.

Week after week, Indiana kept winning. Mendoza was the engine. Against Michigan State, he dropped 332 yards and four TDs, including this ridiculous 75-yard laser that left defenders in the dust. Then there was the Purdue rivalry game—a total nail-biter. He not only passed like a pro but ran for 85 yards and two scores, willing his team to a 31-28 win. By season's end, his stats were insane: 226 completions out of 316 attempts for nearly 3,000 yards, 33 touchdown passes (a school record), plus six more scores on the ground. His completion percentage hovered around 71.5%, and he had a QB rating that screamed elite.

Thanks to him, Indiana went 13-0, snagged their first-ever No. 1 ranking, beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship (where he threw for 312 yards and three TDs in a 42-35 epic), and locked up the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Awards poured in: Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp, Davey O'Brien you name it, he won it.

But the big one? The Heisman Trophy. On December 13, 2025, in the glitz of New York City, the finalists gathered: Mendoza, Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia, Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, and Ohio State's Julian Sayin. The room buzzed with tension. When they announced Mendoza as the winner with 2,362 points and 643 first-place votes—l it was pure magic. He outpaced Pavia by a mile. Tears in his eyes, he hugged his family and took the stage. "This is for everyone who believed in me, from Miami to Berkeley to Bloomington," he said, his voice cracking. "Hard work pays off, no matter where you start."

Mendoza became Indiana's first Heisman winner ever, the seventh transfer to claim it in recent years, and a symbol of what happens when talent meets opportunity. Now, with the playoffs ahead, his story's far from over. Who knows? A national title might be next. But for now, he's the kid from Miami who proved dreams don't have limits.