The Story of Fernando Mendoza Before the Heisman & NFL - Stay Tranquilo

Summary

Stay Tranquilo Podcast – The Story of Fernando Mendoza Before the Heisman & NFL
Date: July 28, 2026
Host: Stay Tranquilo Network
Guest: Fernando Mendoza, Cal Quarterback

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Episode Overview

This episode centers around Fernando Mendoza’s journey from Miami high school football at Columbus to becoming the starting quarterback at Cal, including the ups and downs of recruiting, the culture shifts he’s experienced, and his candid insights into the pressures and realities of modern college football—including NIL and the transfer portal. With a relaxed, conversational tone, the episode delivers motivation, humor, and valuable perspective for anyone interested in sports, mindset, or thriving through adversity.

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Key Sections and Discussion Points

1. Introduction & Columbus Football Brotherhood
   [01:10–01:41]

• Fernando expresses gratitude for being on the show and credits Columbus High School in Miami for instilling a brotherhood mentality.
• The mutual pride in Columbus alumni connection, even among the podcast crew.
• Notable Quote:
  "It's been a long journey from Miami all the way to kind of the San Francisco area. But it's been an amazing journey. I'm blessed through it all." —Fernando Mendoza [01:31]

2. Winning the State Championship at Columbus
   [01:46–07:14]

• Recounting Columbus’ historic state championship season, the culture change mid-season, and the discipline enforced by coaches (e.g., star players benched for being late).
• Team camaraderie and alumni support—after the win, there were “three or four parades.”
• Memorable story about a car accident with a fellow Columbus alum that led to a quick resolution.
• Notable Quote:
  "It needed to be more disciplined... Coach Dunn didn’t let [Elijah Roberts] play the first half of the Western game. That was a big game... it was to show the team like, hey, this is discipline. This is a Columbus way." —Fernando Mendoza [04:05]

3. The Recruiting Rollercoaster
   [07:23–15:26]

• Fernando discusses the subjectivity of football recruiting, especially for quarterbacks, and the unique challenges posed by COVID (e.g., limited exposure and canceled camps).
• Senior year, only Yale gave him a real offer—almost headed to the Ivy League, despite football dreams.
• Hilarious story about mixing up Harvard and Yale on a recruiting call: "I was like, 'yeah, go Bulldogs. Yay, Yale.' And he was like, 'Whoa... that's a bad side of the river.'" [12:30]
• Last-minute Cal offer when their recruit flipped to UCLA; whirlwind cross-country visit and signing.
• “Mr. McKean, athletic director, is like, you're the first player that's ever signed twice in Columbus history.” [15:01]

4. Adjusting to Life at Cal and West Coast Culture
   [15:26–19:16]

• Move from Miami’s warmth and Cuban community to the Bay Area’s chill and diversity ("Miami flipped upside down").
• Funny culture-shock stories—greeting norms and trying local food substitutions for Cuban staples.
• “There was a day it was like Cuban sandwiches. And I ate it... it was so good, but it was not the same.” —Fernando Mendoza [18:39]

5. Missed Home Offers: Miami and FIU
   [19:20–21:28]

• FIU coach gave him an offer but admitted he was about to be fired—“just so you can get their name out.”
• Miami camp heartbreak: “They told me, like, 'we'll maybe look at you for a walk-on spot.' ... I thought I was good enough for a scholarship.” [21:03]

6. Breaking Through at Cal: From Third String to Starter
   [21:38–26:21]

• Describes a wild quarterback competition, injuries, and the moment the coach called him on his birthday:
  "'No matter if you throw 20 million touchdowns or 20 million interceptions, you're playing for the entire game. Prove me right. Get ready.'" [23:30]
• Prepares obsessively before his first start against then-ranked Oregon State.
• “First two throws in the dirt. I mean, I am nervous... That game, it was like 50,000 people there.” [25:23]
• Offense put up big numbers even in a loss—earned him the starting spot moving forward.

7. Initiation by Fire: Cal’s Brutal Stretch & Power 5 Reality
   [26:28–30:16]

• Last six games: all against teams ranked top 20 at some point.
• Experiences at iconic stadiums—UCLA, Oregon, Stanford.
• "Two years ago, I was... only had an offer to Yale. And now I'm playing against UCLA to fight for bowl eligibility." [27:41]

8. Mindset & Cultural Shifts: From Adversity to ACC Move
   [30:16–34:08]

• Discusses Cal’s revived program culture, player-led accountability, parallels with high school turnarounds.
• Cal’s big move to the ACC—expectations are high.
• On being underestimated:
  "We have a chip on our shoulder. We know a lot of teams don't want to come out all the way to the west coast... they're not going to be excited to come play us." [35:13]

9. NIL, The Transfer Portal, and Locker Room Dynamics
   [36:16–48:57]

• Mendoza opened up about his NIL experience, including a charity burrito with proceeds to the National MS Society (his mom’s cause).
• NIL impacts—gray areas, different program attitudes, possible sanctions, and its effect on team chemistry.
• Candid concerns about the transfer portal and "mini-NFL" dynamics, where ego and money can disrupt brotherhood and loyalty.
• Notable Quote:
  "Now we're being valued. You're worth 100k. I'm only worth 20k. What do you mean we're the same? ... Money changes the politics of the locker room." —Fernando Mendoza [40:06]
• Also points out that the NIL and transfer chaos opens opportunities for focused “old-school grinders” to succeed.

10. Rapid Fire & Personal Insights
    [50:27–57:56]

• Favorite Cuban dish: “Arroz con frijoles. There's an art to making homemade—it hits different.” [51:05]
• Favorite route/play: Loves play-action plays—especially “big post, go, or corner route.”
• Preparation beats hype: Details his weekly study routine—breaking down film, situational study, and the role of visualization.
• "That work goes in the off season... it's like studying for a final every week." [53:04]
• Swapped hype playlists for calm or no music to stay level-headed.
• Mentions visualization as a key mental tool, citing advice from former professionals on simulating high-pressure situations.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It was like if we won, like, a Super Bowl essentially, but at the high school level.” —Host on Columbus’ state title [06:54]
• “I was pretty heartbroken... I thought I was good enough for a scholarship spot." —Fernando Mendoza on Miami recruiting [21:03]
• "No matter what, I want my preparation to be so well... that I'll be able to sleep well at night, whether I throw 20 million interceptions or 20 million touchdowns." [25:05]
• “We all have a chip on our shoulder... they said Cal and Stanford weren’t competitive enough. We’re like, ‘Okay. We play you guys—let’s see about that.’” [35:13]
• "Money changes the politics of the locker room. You don't see it at Cal—we have a really good culture—but other programs... 'what are you making?'... there are still walk-ons paying for college." [40:06]
• "If you were to really grind, grind, grind... it could put you a step ahead." [48:41]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:10] Introductions & Columbus brotherhood
• [02:04] Columbus’ state championship season
• [07:44] Recruiting journey & COVID impacts
• [11:16] Ivy League mix-up / Cal offer story
• [15:26] Moving cross-country & culture shock
• [19:41] Local Miami & FIU recruiting realities
• [21:56] Becoming starter at Cal, first big game
• [26:21] Facing Power 5 schedules, big-time environments
• [30:23] Cal’s program turnaround and ACC move
• [35:13] ACC expectations, chip on Cal’s shoulder
• [36:16] NIL experiences & locker room effects
• [48:57] Transfer portal, ego, and culture shifts
• [50:27] Rapid fire: favorite food, routes, and prep methods
• [53:04] QB mental prep and visualization

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Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

True to the Stay Tranquilo vibe, the episode mixes wisdom, humility, Miami humor, and a relatable hustle. Fernando Mendoza’s outlook is balancing ambition (“my dream is the NFL”) with gratitude and focus on inner circle values (“the brotherhood,” “culture comes first”). His honest takes on scouting, NIL, and the transfer portal will resonate with both hardcore football fans and anyone navigating life’s unexpected turns or striving for excellence.

Whether you’re a future athlete, fan, or just looking to “stress less and (in)joy more,” this episode offers a true behind-the-scenes look at what it means to rise, adapt, and represent your roots at the highest levels.

Transcript

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[Podcast Host]

We're here with Fernando Mendoza, Class of 20.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Class of 2.

[Podcast Host]

2022. From the. From the. From the sea. Sea Pride. And also quarterback at Cal. Right now we're going to get into a ton of things, but before we get started, would love for you to give a little intro about yourself and tell. Tell the people some of the things you got going on.

[Fernando Mendoza]

For sure. Yeah. First of all, thank you so much for having me on.

[Podcast Host]

Of course.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Truly a blessing and you know, amazing. Just connect with the brotherhood. As he said, I went to Columbus class of 2022. So to show how the brotherhood is reinforced. That's the best, you know, all boys school in Miami.

[Podcast Host]

We got the camera guy back there also Columbus guy.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Oh yeah, pooch.

[Podcast Host]

The pooch.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And then I'm now the Cal quarterback. So it's been a long journey from Miami all the way to kind of the San Francisco area. But it's been an amazing journey. I'm blessed through it all.

[Podcast Host]

Hell yeah. I think let's rewind to before the Cal days, right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And your, your time at Columbus, you guys won a state championship, which also was a, a big deal at Columbus. After a long stretch of not being able to get it done. Can you talk about what that year looked like a little bit at Columbus and kind of how everyone rallied around you guys?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. So that was a special year in Columbus history. That year had been hyped up as we had a ton of national prospects like Xavier Henderson, Elijah Roberts and the famous Henry Parish. Especially with the sports center run every. Everybody in the Columbus community was like, that was a. That was a stiff arm, right? Yeah, that was a stiff. I was like, especially on Belen. That was like the epitome of Columbus football.

[Podcast Host]

Oh my God, I forgot about that. So iconic.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So we started the year off really, really strong and I was lucky part enough to be a part of it. And throughout the season by our sixth game, although we had all the hype, especially the national level with SportsCenter and I know we were pretty ranked pretty highly on Max preps. We ended up being like three, I believe it was three and three, like 500. And we lost some subpar teams at the time, which like South Dade and a couple other teams that we were highly favored to win. So at that point, some of the seniors like Jordan Garcia and so many other guys like Max Velar, Elijah, you know, Duby, which is Xavier Henderson, they all kind of brought us together and was like, hey, like, we need to turn this around. This is our last chance. Because they lost in the States the last year by like a two point conversion. So they already favor to go to states being 500 in the start of the season. And usually like Columbus, they go to the start of the season a little easier and then they pick up the games like more than later in the season.

[Podcast Host]

It starts to pick up.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. So being already 500, they're like, oh, shoot, like we need to pick it up or else that's it. Our promise that going from junior year, all those guys to senior year, we're finally going to win it. We're finally going to get over that hump. Like we need to change something. And that was when a big culture shift happened and we had so much talent on the team. But one of the things that stood out to me is when they played Mandarin and they lost to them, they're like, hey, Mandarin came out. They were all in the same matching uniform. They were all like single file line. And although that's, you know, it's insignificant, you know, they're like, whatever. Maybe they're like the coach makes them do it like that. It was a big thing, is that we had so much talent on the Columbus roster, but it needed to be more disciplined.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Needed more discipline. And the players took that account. Anyone that was late, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, even as a star player, they got like repercussions. Yeah, we played Western later in the season. Elijah Roberts, who was like American Conference defensive player of the year, he showed up like two minutes late or something like that. And Coach Dunn didn't let him play the first half of the Western game.

[Podcast Host]

Holy.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Which was like a playoff game at that point. And it was like a big game. Like we weren't winning by a ton, we weren't favored. And it was to show the team like, hey, this is discipline. This is a Columbus way. We're not doing like any of this superstar massage Treatment like you Columbus, we're playing the best players and we're being disciplined. I think that's like a big thing with Columbus, you know, everybody. We're kind of the grinding, you know, over there in Westchester. So I think that's when it really, the culture really connected to the football program.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And Elijah, I mean, he's amazing guy. I play against him this year at smu, so I mean he's a phenomenal player. He's going to play in the NFL one day.

[Podcast Host]

Got to mark that on the calendar.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. Then after that it was kind of. It was free flowing from there. The starting quarterback, Moody, ended up getting injured and I ended up subbing in for six or seven weeks and we ended up battling it out throughout the playoffs and since that 500 mark that we talked about, undefeated since then. And we were lucky enough to win the state championship against great players. We played against Jalen Carter, who was a top 10 pick in the NFL draft. I mean, you see him now in the Eagles. He is like wrecking things.

[Podcast Host]

Where the hell. Wait, where did he go to high school?

[Fernando Mendoza]

A pop gun apopka.

[Podcast Host]

That's right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And the only reason he didn't go like top five was because of character issues.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Which has nothing to do on the field. You know, on the field you're not, you're not asking for a handshake. You're just scared of the guy. And so, I mean, that was a great season to see Columbus in the community. Like, even though I didn't actually. Well, I held the field goal. But although I didn't actually like really, really contribute to in the actual state game, I was able to contribute to the season and I saw the aftermath. We might have had like three or four parades. Like, it was like Columbus alumni who knew who I was and I was like the backup quarterback. There was a time that I was. I forgot what it was, but I know I was in rushing at the Sunset Place to meet up with one of my friends and I backed into. Somebody had a car accident. I was like, oh, this is so terrible. You know, I was like a 10th career, it's my first time driving and the guy was like. We ended up figuring, obviously with insurance, but it was a lot easier through the process because he was a Columbus alumni, he was from the brotherhood. He was like, yeah, just one, let's go. This is a Columbus story.

[Podcast Host]

It's like you run into the guy, you're thinking like the worst case scenario and all of a sudden, of course it's a Columbus guy. And he knows, yeah, you can play football, Columbus. Oh, don't worry about it.

[Fernando Mendoza]

You're good. And it's a Tesla at this point. It's when they just came out, I'm like, oh, shoot. Like I'm gr. Found it for sure. So that's hilarious.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, that's cool. I mean, like you said, it was, it was like the parades and everything. It was like, it was like if we won like a Super bowl essentially, but at the high school level. I mean, that's essentially what it is. But the Columbus network, like took it personal and like they, they really rallied behind. I mean, there was watch parties at Sports Grill. Like, it, it was a big deal.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

So you win the night, the, the, the state championship, obviously, then you become the court, the starting quarterback the year after, right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And then you play, you. You finish your career at Columbus and then you start getting recruited. Can you talk about that recruiting period in your life where, you know, you start getting offers from schools and kind of, you know, making that decision of like, what, what's, what's the next step in your, in your life? Can you kind of go through that process?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. And the one word I would use to describe football recruiting would be subjective, as it's not like swimming or track that they have the times, hey, we know you're this good. We know you're 39 seconds. This guy's 40 seconds.

[Podcast Host]

Right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

There's so many aspects of potential, of size, of just the character development and how good they are as a player overall. And I think a big lack in my recruiting process was the COVID And obviously, you know, everyone could blame Covid. And I'm really thankful how my journey ended up going out and I thank God for it all the time. But so once I started, springtime is when the coaches come and see you, especially a quarterback. Quarterback is very subjective position. You see people like Tom Brady playing and, you know, like Josh Allen. We also have quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and like Brock Purdy. They're all super different styles. It's not like o line, we want the biggest, baddest guy. It's very subjective. So. So at that point, none of the coaches could come. And since all the national recruits played their sophomore year, the entirety of their sophomore year, it was tough to get recruited. So I had to wait till after junior year, till after I had all the film because the camps were still shut down. So I couldn't. The coaches couldn't see me in spring nor summer, and it was like wishy washy. If we were Even gonna play. Cause of how bad it was in

[Podcast Host]

Miami day, that whole Covid time. Yeah, that puts the whole wrench in things.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So no one could see me. And then after my junior year, we had a great junior year. We went undefeated. We unfortunately did not win state because we didn't have the opportunity. We won the Tri county, which we got a ring for because we were the two highest ranked teams. It was Deerfield beach and Columbus, and we won that game. So we hold that as a championship. It's not a state championship, you know, but it's definitely a championship. And so after that, my film, after junior year, going to senior year, that's when I was really able to kind of mobilize my recruiting process. But all the schools like Alabama, Georgia, all these huge schools already have their guys going into junior year.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

I mean, senior year.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like, if you see the elite 11, like, those guys make bank off of, hey, like, watch our Elite 11. We have the Georgia guy, we have the Alabama guy. And all these huge fan bases come together.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. They're recruiting way early in the process.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. And you already know who the dudes are by 10th, especially 11th grade. Yeah, that's when it really is 11th grade. And then so up to my senior year, the only real offer that I had was Yale. And I was like, bro, I mean, Yale, let's go. Like, I guess like when I. Yeah, great.

[Podcast Host]

Great academic program, obviously.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, great academic. Like, hopefully I make big bucks on Wall street one day to make up for football, but. And nothing against Yale.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, it could have been like the next Ryan Fitzpatrick. Yeah. And he's funny enough, he went to. He went to Harvard. Harvard, that's right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Funny enough, that's. I talked to all, like, most of the Ivy Leagues. I talked to everyone except everyone except Harvard. And every one of the recruiting pitches were. You can be like Ryan Fitzpatrick. All. They didn't go to the school and. Which was showed a little bit of a red flag because I'm like, you don't have your own NFL players to

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[Fernando Mendoza]

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[Fernando Mendoza]

Another guy you know, I want to play the NFL. That's my dream. That's my aspiration. That's what I'm going to do. So my whole heart, that's what I believe. So, you know, do a little red flag. But I'm like, hey, it's a great opportunity, great school, and it's a platform. It's platform to play football. And actually, funny story, the reason I didn't talk to Harvard is because I got on one phone call with them because Coach Dunn, he actually coached at Harvard.

[Podcast Host]

Really?

[Fernando Mendoza]

So he.

[Podcast Host]

I know he coached that Catholic for a little bit.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. So he coached at Harvard and he sent the contact. And at the same time, the school is committed to Yale, said, hey, we're going to call you soon, like, from like. Like the recruiting room with all the coaches and stuff like that. So I get a call, I'm like, okay, cool. And I pick up the phone and, oh, it says Connecticut because the coach was from Connecticut. And so I pick up the phone thinking it's Yale, but it's really Harvard. So I'm on the phone with this guy for 10 minutes, not knowing. And Yale and Harvard, this is like real deal. Presidents got this game.

[Podcast Host]

That's a rivalry right there.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And like, I came and one, like, five minutes of the call in, I'm like, he's like, you gotta come up to campus. I'm like, I can't wait to come up, you know. You know, New Haven's a great place. You know, go, Bulldogs. And he's like, whoa, What? What did you just say? And I was like, yeah, go Bulldogs. You know, Yay, Yale.

[Podcast Host]

Holy cow.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And I was like. At that moment, I just knew. It was like, you know the moment where you're like, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

You're like, I'm not getting anything.

[Fernando Mendoza]

It's pretty nice language. You fricked up, you know, I was like, ugh. And he was like, that's a bad side of the river. Like, don't talk about that school, like, and all that stuff.

[Podcast Host]

Was he, like, genuinely upset?

[Fernando Mendoza]

He was genuinely upset. Holy upset. And obviously they want to recruit.

[Podcast Host]

Crazy story.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And I was like, shoot. And then from there on, I never heard from Harvard. Wow. Well deserved. But you know what?

[Podcast Host]

It wasn't meant to be.

[Fernando Mendoza]

It wasn't meant to be. But then, yeah. So I was committed to Yale my senior year. We had a good senior year, but good is we made it to the semifinals. But now in Columbus, my little brother, he just won two back to back junior, senior state. So that's a down year. So We. So we had a down year for Columbus football. And after that season, I was kind of like, okay, I'm going to Yale. We got accepted January. I mean, everyone already signs in December. January. I was like, okay, I'm going to press. Like, hey, like, let me matriculate to the system. Let me go to Yale, you know? And then I get a call and I'm like, okay, like, what's this call? And it's the Cal coach saying that their quarterback flipped to UCLA on signing day. And now they're scrambling all ahead. They're like, oh, shoot, like, all the quarterbacks already signed. Where do we go? And since legally you can sign people until, like, February 3rd, they still.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like, had an option to sign me. And the only reason, the signing period so above.

[Podcast Host]

And you had no contact with them?

[Fernando Mendoza]

No contact. West Coast. I barely even knew, like, I obviously knew Colin. Stanford, of course.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

I knew, like, Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn lynch, but, like, I never watched, like, a Cow game. I was like, cal, you know what I mean? I literally caught one of my friends, Marcelo Mueller. He's at Michigan now. I was like, hey, man, you know anything about Cal? Because we're on the phone, like, and stuff like that. He's like, yeah, great. Business school. I'm like, all right, sounds good. And I talked to the coach. I obviously researched more about Cal, and I was lucky enough. He said, hey, we're gonna come down and see you throw. And that day, I was sweating bullets. I'm like, okay, this is my chance. Because doing a Cal with Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff, or do I go to,

[Podcast Host]

like, the Ivy League?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Ivy League with. I'm a Miami guy. I went on my official visit. Yale loved everything. Except about it. Except it was negative four degrees when I went. Yeah, I mean, I can't play football. Negative four degrees, you know, every day.

[Podcast Host]

That's rough.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So I was like, let's go. Ended up going, well, they offered me a scholarship, and I signed, like, three days later.

[Podcast Host]

Wow, what a crazy turn of events at the last hour, too.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Last. Like, I really thought that I was gonna go to Yale. And my mom kept on saying, like, hey, you're gonna get a Power 5 at that point. There are five conferences, right? RIP the PAC 12. But I was like, no way, Mommy. Like, there's no way, like, I'm going to Yale. And then magically happened.

[Podcast Host]

So moms always know.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Moms always know.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Always know. It's weird. So, damn, that's pretty awesome. Well, so then now you sign with Yale. I mean, with with cow. And then you start that process. You fly in basically that summer, essentially. Right. And start doing all the practices, taking your classes and all that. How was that transition from east coast to West Coast?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. So before I say that, funny story, Yale doesn't have any scholarships because they're Ivy League.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So I actually signed on the December signing date with Yale, and then I for real signed in February with Cal. So Mr. McKean, athletic director, is like, you're the first player that's ever signed twice in Columbus history. But that's funny, signing that paper. I mean, I didn't know what my life was going to come to. I mean, the West Coast.

[Podcast Host]

Had you visited the campus before?

[Fernando Mendoza]

I visited once for two days, but it was like, really quick. They got to get back and sign the documents and go. Because the deadline. And I never been to California in the first place, like, prior to that. So I was like, okay. Nonetheless, San Francisco, like, I visited campus and stuff.

[Podcast Host]

But because where, where exactly is Cal?

[Fernando Mendoza]

It's 20 minutes out of San Francisco and it's. It's literally sandwiched in San Francisco, Oakland, and then sandwich in between there and then up above, you have like Napa.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Stuff like that. Where Stanford is.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So it's right by the coast. You can see the water from the stadium and everything like that. And so I was like, okay. And when I tell you, it's literally Miami flipped upside down. Like, everything opposite it is. I mean, everyone's a little bit more relaxed. Yeah, it's definitely very different. And luckily I had great roommates and a great support system to kind of get adjusted there because I saw like a couple kids who, you know, it's tough moving away from home. You know, moving away from home for.

[Podcast Host]

It's a tough transition.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Full time job. Yeah, full time job. And they're kind of like, okay, like, maybe should I sign with my hometown team? You know, And I was lucky enough to have a great support system and have a smooth lane. Like, obviously there was a points where I was homesick once and smooth points that, you know, I didn't get a. The culture. It was a little bit of culture shock. Like, especially in Miami, like in the high school, whenever you meet somebody, you're like, hey, how you doing? And give them like a little hug and stuff like that. So there's like a little.

[Podcast Host]

Athletics were like, touchy.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, like, very touchy, you know, and there's a little athlete thing, you know, coming with all the new athletes. So I'm like, okay. And so I'm Obviously with my football boys. And we meet another sport, like another woman's sport. I think it was like a track team or something. I can't remember. And I go like, hey, how you doing, Fernando? They're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?

[Podcast Host]

That's like the. The kiss, the kiss on the cheek. The first time I did that was like, I think in like New York or Boston or something. And it was the same shit. I went. I went there to like, say, hi, I'm Andre. And they're like, is this guy trying to kiss me right now? Like, what's going on here?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Where are these guys manners? A little bit of reality check there. And I gotta like, check back in when I'm Miami. And you gotta adjust Berkeley. So that was definitely a little bit of a culture thing. And there's a ton of. Ton of amazing Asian food over there.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Ton of amazing Asian and Indian and a lot of Mexican food over there. So that's something I've been kind of exposed to.

[Podcast Host]

No croquetas. And

[Fernando Mendoza]

there was like, at the facility we had, there was like a day, it was like Cuban sandwiches. And everyone like, knows that I'm Cuban, you know, being from Miami and stuff. And they're like, oh, the Cuban sandwiches. And I ate it. And the chefs at our school are amazing, like world class because they got to serve world class athletes. And I love all them. Shout out, Mr. Rob. That's my guy. But the human sandwich. And I was like, oh, it's just not the same. You know, like, it was so good, but it was not the same. And I. All my. All my friends were like, oh, so Cuban sandwich tastes like.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, for them it's like, holy shit is amazing. But yet for you, you're like, this

[Fernando Mendoza]

is like, come down to Versailles or Casa Cuba or something, man. You know, so.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah, that's cool. One question I actually wanted to ask you. Did you ever get recruited by like, um or FIU or. Yeah, I mean, considering like the local. Right. It's tougher to get recruited from. I know yours was a little bit different because it was like at the last hour kind of thing. But they like to recruit locally. Did anything really happen there, conversation wise?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, like you said, like, all schools like to recruit locally.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like Miami, like their motto, recruiting, obviously I want to pull.

[Podcast Host]

Plus there's plenty of talent down here.

[Fernando Mendoza]

They want to build a fence. Yeah, you know, that's what they've said in multiple interviews and stuff. They want to build a fence. All the talent to go right to Miami. And I did get recruited by fiu, but the coach knew that he was getting fired.

[Podcast Host]

And he was like, butch at the time. It was.

[Fernando Mendoza]

But it was under that. And it was like the quarterback coach, he was like, hey, I know I'm getting fired in two weeks.

[Podcast Host]

They already told me during that time mess.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And they're like, hey, I know I'm getting fired in two weeks, but I'm gonna give you this offer just so you can get their name out.

[Podcast Host]

Got it? Okay.

[Fernando Mendoza]

But I mean, there's no saying that the new coach is gonna.

[Podcast Host]

Right, he's gonna have his system, and who's to know that he's actually gonna bring in the people that he was trying to bring in?

[Fernando Mendoza]

He just said that he liked me a lot and that if he was still the coach, that he would take me in, but that he didn't have that opportunity anymore. But he wanted to give me kind of for like social media, that if, if some school says, oh, look, FIU offered him, let me take a look at him.

[Podcast Host]

Right, exactly.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And then that senior year beforehand, it was still the Manny. It was the Manny Diaz reign. And so I went to the camp and I was, I was pretty heartbroken because, you know, I had a really good camp and stuff like that. Like, they knew who I was because the Columbus quarterback and stuff like that. And the coach at the time kind of told him like, hey, like, we'll maybe look at you for a walk on spot.

[Podcast Host]

Gotcha here.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And I was like, and I accomplished myself. I thought it was good enough for a scholarship spot, you know? Yeah, yeah, like, you proved it.

[Podcast Host]

You proved it.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And I was definitely heartbroken then. I was huge Miami fan growing up and everything. And it kind of did something like, something similar to my little brother. They were kind of like, hey, like, gotcha. We really like you, but, you know, we don't think you're. You're that guy.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So it was a little heartbreaking for both of us, but luckily I have the chance to redeem myself. As you play him this year.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah. So let's get into that. Let's talk about. So that was year one for you, right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

So this is year two. I registered my first year.

[Podcast Host]

So you registered year one and then. But technically, eligibility wise, first year two. Yeah, you play this year. So from what I remember, quarterback one gets hurt at Cal, right? And then that's where you came in and started playing, right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. So it was kind of a weird scenario. I know you want to talk about nil later?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I do.

[Fernando Mendoza]

One of this great guy, amazing guy. We bring in this, we bring in this court two quarterbacks, actually. One from TCU and one from NC State. And throughout the entire fall camp, we're all battling, all three of us. And it ends up shaking out like the last practice. Like at one point I was starting and it ended up shaking out the last practice that I was actually third.

[Podcast Host]

Holy.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Going into the game, like, it was very, like hairs.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like it was this competition.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it could be 1A, 1B and 1C, essentially.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Basically. And so the starter goes in and the start of the second string, they kind of battle it out for the first four or five games. They kind of like, they both, they both like one of the first has minor injuries, but then he ends up getting the starting job again, but then he loses it to the second string guy. So it's kind of like our quarterback situation was shaky at the time.

[Podcast Host]

Gotcha.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And the sixth game, I was like a little impatient, but I was also like, okay, like, my time, you know, my time will come. It's, it's no, no one's playing lights out here, you know, like, and to take our team to the next level, we need good quarterback play especially. That's what, like, all teams need. NFL.

[Podcast Host]

You know, reality is quarterback is arguably the most important position.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And although they're great guys, great quarterbacks, and they're going to do great things that are at their next school. Like at that point in time, the production wasn't there and the coach called me, funny enough on my birthday. I was talking to my family. I gotta call, I gotta hang up.

[Podcast Host]

Coach is calling.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, coach is calling. This might be important. He's like, Sunday night and he's like, hey, Fernando, just want to let you know we, we value preparation. Everything done for the program. You're starting next week. No matter if you throw 20 million touchdowns or 20 million interceptions, you're playing for the entire game. Prove me right. Get ready. I'm like, oh, wow. Yeah, I'm there. I'm like, gotta hang up, guys. Like, you know how many days before the game? Seven days. Seven days. And at that point, like at a midterm that week, at that point, I'm like, all right, this might be my only chance ever, being a two star recruit, like, very lowly recruited, like, to ever play, like, and start a college football game, especially at Cal, at a Power 5 level, 100%. And that we grew up playing Oregon State, who at that time had the number one defense in the PAC 12. Over Oregon, over Washington, over UCLA.

[Podcast Host]

Were they ranked at that time?

[Fernando Mendoza]

They were ranked, yeah. They were like 13.

[Podcast Host]

Top 15.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Top 15. They're 12th in the nation, I think. And I was like, wow. So that night I literally go. And that entire week, 7 and 9pm Just in the film room, learning everything about them, Learning everything about them. And I was able to find out like a little bit of tendencies with them, which helped me on the field. And I was like, no matter what, I want my preparation to be so well. And so, I mean, just be so like well thought of and just be so deliberate, my preparation that I'll be able to sleep well at night. Whether I throw 20 million interceptions or 20 million touchdowns. I want to sleep well at night knowing that I did everything possible that humanly possible that I could do to make sure I have a good performance. And I get out there, the first two throws in the dirt. I mean, I am nervous. Like my body's like, who? Like, oh, my God. A college football game like Columbus.

[Podcast Host]

Columbus. In Cal or in Cow. Okay.

[Fernando Mendoza]

It's a night game. And it was like, I'm like, oh, okay. Like a tropical park. We have 200 to 500 people. That game, it was like 50,000 people there.

[Podcast Host]

Holy cow.

[Fernando Mendoza]

You know, and you just look up the stands and you kind of get a little shell shock.

[Podcast Host]

You're like.

[Fernando Mendoza]

It's like the lights like this that you can barely see if you look in the lights.

[Podcast Host]

You could try to mentally prepare for that moment, but you can't because you have nothing to like, as a foundational piece to do that.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And that's a big thing. Why everyone red shirts. They're like, none of these quarterbacks are ready enough to play. You got to get thrown in the fire. And I ended up picking it up. We had a great game offensive wise. I mean, we boat raced the number one team in the Pac 12. It was like we lost 40 to like 50 that game.

[Podcast Host]

I remember it being a shootout.

[Fernando Mendoza]

I was a shootout though, on that game. I mean, they've. The Oregon State defense only average like 12 points allowed per game.

[Podcast Host]

That's incredible.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Until. Until up to that point. And so that was. That kind of led me into. Hey, you're starting the next week.

[Podcast Host]

Exactly.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And then we played Utah. And let me tell you, you guys

[Podcast Host]

had a crazy stretch of of games.

[Fernando Mendoza]

The first five games I played. Oh, no, I played the last six. The last six games, all teams were ranked at some point, top 20. Yeah, at some point we play Utah, then you play USC, who's top 10 nationally.

[Podcast Host]

I watched that whole game that game was insane.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Usc, they play Oregon, who was a new year. They were like number six and they're one time they're number four in the nation. And then we play Washington State, who was ranked early in the season.

[Podcast Host]

That's right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Let me play ucla, who was ranked at that time that we played him. And it was crazy. And being from the east coast, you don't understand. And I didn't understand the west coast environments when I went to Oregon, when I went to Utah, when I went to the Rose bowl. Ucla, it's things I've always thought of, you know, Doe, Campbell and Hard Rock and like all these other. And like Clemson. But going to these stadiums, it was surreal. It was like, wow, like I'm really planning this. Like two years ago I was. Didn't have only had an offer to Yale. And now like I'm playing against UCLA to fight for bowl eligibility. The first bowl we'd made in the last four years. You know what I mean? It's like this is a big game or Stanford sold out. I'm like, this is like huge rivalry.

[Podcast Host]

I'm talking about historic environments too.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Historic, historic. I mean Stanford, no matter who wins by how much or how well they're doing that year, they stormed the field.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely.

[Fernando Mendoza]

The year before we only won four games, they stormed the feeling we beat Stanford, you know, so.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, no, I. That I. I can't even fathom, you know, and it's. It's crazy like hearing it from you, what the emotional side of it is, you know, like there's you as a fan, right? Like growing up, watching that as a kid and looking at those environments and being like, damn, that is sick. Right? Like, I want to witness that at some capacity and then being in that situation without really much of a expectation, you know, like you're saying, hey, week, whatever that week was that you started, you're starting here. And well, by the way, you're going to keep starting now because you're performing well. So every week is a new level of preparation that you're not necessarily used to. Obviously you did your preparation at Columbus and you had your level of preparation there, but you're, you're in a Power 5 program going against some of the best teams in the country and it's just like, go figure it out.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, like it's crazy. Exactly. And like you said, like there was no expectations. So I had my wristband, the three things. My wristband was, praise God. It was play by play. Because something like quarterback, you do preparation, you gotta analyze the defense. At Columbus, all we got is to put it into non football audiences. Cover three and cover one, which are very simple defenses.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And Cal, through the entire stretch of like those six games, I saw over 30 different coverages. So it was like. And it all happens very fast. And no one just in high school, no one disguises.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

They're disguising. You're out there trying to, like, on

[Podcast Host]

the level, too, on the other side of the ball. I mean, you're talking about speed is. Is. Is way higher in. In that level of football. Size, smart, you know, everything. You're getting the best of the best on both sides of the ball.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. And I mean, this year we played last game at ucla. I don't know if you watch NFL draft, but it was very offense heavy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And the first defensive player took was Lilatu. Yeah, we played him.

[Podcast Host]

That's right. Utah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

No, he was ucla.

[Podcast Host]

Ucla.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Ucla. So I look at them looking at the draft, and I'm watching him sack me. I'm like, all right, cool. I'm like, hey, that's me. I like, all of a sudden, like, three people call me, like, my Columbus Gap buddies. And they're like, hey, I saw your tv. I'm like, I don't want to hear about it.

[Podcast Host]

You know, not the right way to see.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Not the right way to see me on tv. So.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Fernando Mendoza]

I mean, it was really cool, like, being in these environments and seeing how much it meant to everybody.

[Podcast Host]

And it's a surreal experience.

[Fernando Mendoza]

It was definitely very surreal.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So what's kind of the expectation this year?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, so this is the best we've finished in a while. And the one thing that I would say that is why we had to. We were so improved last year was because of the culture change. Like mid year, we're kind of like, hey, we lost to Oregon. We got killed by Oregon. It was like 60 to like 20 or 30.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, it was bad. And we were like, all right, we need to win the next three games to make a bowl game. No matter what the coaches say, no matter what anybody says. Administration, like, we need to come together. Players, indifferences. We gotta, like, start being accountable. And you need to just level it up at all. Work harder, prepare harder, play harder. And I was like, okay. Sounds pretty familiar. Yeah, it's like Columbus little turnaround. And so going into next season, we're going to the acc, which is crazy.

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[Fernando Mendoza]

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[Fernando Mendoza]

Close your eyes, exhale.

[Podcast Host]

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[Fernando Mendoza]

of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts.

[Podcast Host]

Oh my gosh, they're so fun, fast and breathe.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts. Easy, because I can see the Pacific Ocean from my.

[Podcast Host]

Talking about that before. Holy.

[Fernando Mendoza]

I can see the Pacific Ocean from the football offices. And now we're playing the Atlantic Coastal Conference.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Holy cow.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So it's going to be a lot of long flights, but next year, I mean the Pack 12 is super competitive. Last year, I mean, I think almost every team was like. Almost every team was like ranked.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like so going to the acc, I mean, our expectations are, you know, through the roof. I mean we're definitely like.

[Podcast Host]

We made you realize you guys can compete in that conference. Coming from the conference that you guys came from last year, like you're saying was stacked, essentially. And what seems to be a weaker ACC essentially, obviously you still got the Clemsons, the FSUs, the Miamis. Can't ever take anything away from those programs. Obviously. But realistically, I think you guys got a shot.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

So what side are ACC are you guys on?

[Fernando Mendoza]

I mean, what is it?

[Podcast Host]

The division? What is it? Remember the. It's. Is that what they're called? Coastal and Atlanta?

[Fernando Mendoza]

I don't even know to be honest. It should be more educated on that.

[Podcast Host]

I don't know.

[Fernando Mendoza]

I mean, I just know the opponents who play and although people.

[Podcast Host]

That's all that matters. It's not important.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. Deem as a weaker, weaker ACC conference, you still never want to take anyone for granted. Wake Forest 2022, they were in the ACC championship and then this year they had like a down year. They're worse than acc. So that's like that. Those turnarounds can be super quick obsessed

[Podcast Host]

all the time because of the transfer portal. True.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like a team has a need, they fill it up like this.

[Podcast Host]

Boom.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like fsu, Miami, both new quarterbacks.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So the trans support all. You really never know who's going to be good.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And who's going to be a little bit more poor. So I mean, this year our goal is ACC championship and we know that if we win the games that we need to win, you know, even if we have one road bump or two road bumps, you know, throughout the way, that we still have a really good shot at it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And we're all really confident in it.

[Podcast Host]

It's a long season and you're going to run into those road bumps along, along the year and it's. Obviously coaches got their job, but I think you said it best, like the players are going to rally and that sense of leadership obviously in the locker room is extremely important. And keeping everyone focused on what, what the end goal is to, you know, I think that's, that's always crucial. You look at the most successful programs historically and it all starts with the internal kind of cultures inside and, and the attitude and, you know, no big egos in the locker room where no one's better than anybody else. It's, it's a team sport at the end of the day and you got a rally amongst each other through the good times. Right. Because it's always good. Everyone could be on the high horse when you start the season four and oh, but guess what? You can go lose the next four games and it's a completely different temperature in that locker room.

[Fernando Mendoza]

For sure. For sure. And like you said, it all starts internally. And I think that we all have a chip on our shoulder. Just because you see, and you see, like we see the articles and stuff like that. Oh, Cal, Stanford and SMU are coming to the acc and everyone's like, all right, we got a couple low level teams coming to the Accent. They're like, what? Like we're gonna go win this thing.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And you see FSU trying to get out of the ACC Conference obviously for playoff reasons, but we're like. And in their thing they said that Cal and Stamford weren't like competitive enough or something like that. And we're like, okay, we play you guys. Like, like, we'll see about that and stuff like that. Obviously they're a powerhouse program. We respect them, but it's. We have a chip on our shoulder. We know a lot of teams don't want to come out all the way to the west coast and make that six, seven hour flight. They'll come play us. I know they're not going to be excited to come play us.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So we know we can take advantage of them there. Or, hey, Cal's coming in our house. You know, whatever. It's Cal. And then, boom. And then we could surprise them. So.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. No. Yeah. You guys got a chip on your shoulder, a ton to prove. I think that's exciting. Do you play Miami?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Play Miami and fsu?

[Podcast Host]

Miami here?

[Fernando Mendoza]

No, we play Miami there, and then next year we play Miami here.

[Podcast Host]

When's that Miami game over there?

[Fernando Mendoza]

I think it's a little. It's like later in six seasons or sixth game, maybe make a little road

[Podcast Host]

trip out there, obviously.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

I'm not a Miami fan, though. He's a Miami fan.

[Fernando Mendoza]

There you go.

[Podcast Host]

But, yeah, man, that's exciting. I love it. I forgot that you guys were going to the acc. We talked about it before, but now that we're talking about it again, I'm like, yeah, that's. That's. That's a big shift and a lot to come with that, which is exciting. So let's get into some of that nil talk. Obviously, that's the talk of land. And ironically enough, something happened, you know, yesterday with the whole NCAA lawsuits stuff. So there's a ton going on in that world. What's your point of view of, like, nil right now and kind of the landscape that you've kind of seen? I know you guys did a campaign, too, with a burrito or something over there, and so in California.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. So. So we launched the Mendoza burrito at the local Mexican Berkeley spot that everyone goes to, La Burrita. And I've been friends with the employees for a long time, ended up getting to meet the owners, and we ended up creating this burrito where all the proceeds go to the National Ms. Society.

[Podcast Host]

Nice.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And my mom has ms, so it's a cause and very dear to my heart. And I love my mom. She's my inspiration. We talked earlier on the podcast about her, you know, having the belief in me. And Tom Brady said that all the great ones have always someone that loves them unconditionally. And my mom loves me unconditionally, and I love her unconditionally as well. So that was something that was really cool. It would have a positive impact in the community. You know, walk around campus, you're like, you know, I have a burrito, you know, so it's pretty cool. But, no, it's a burrito. It's.

[Podcast Host]

It's like. It was, like, Cuban inspired, too. Right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

So it's Cuban inspired. So, you know, it's you know, we try to do a little pork, but the restaurant doesn't serve pork. But we. But we got around and did some chimichurri and stuff in it, and we're doing some future. More Cuban heritage aspects later down the line that we have planned. But, oh, yeah, like you said, the nil space, how I see it, and a lot of my teammates see it, and a lot of people just that, like, people that. In the nil space. Like, I wouldn't say agents, but I would say people that. You know. Collectives. Yeah, maybe agents, stuff like that. The rules are changing so rapidly. There's so much overturn. No one knows what's legal, what's not. What do you get in trouble for, like. And stuff like that. You saw, like, still a ton of

[Podcast Host]

gray area in there.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So much gray area. So some programs are very. Oh, I don't.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

We don't.

[Fernando Mendoza]

We don't want to take that risk.

[Podcast Host]

Which you've seen a couple programs. I think Boise State came out saying something like, no, nil deals are coming through here. And it's maybe. Probably part of that reason. It sucks because players are obviously looking for that because they want to get

[Fernando Mendoza]

paid players looking for that.

[Podcast Host]

But it's. Yeah, I didn't know it was like that.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And a lot of programs are like, all right, no gray, or we're going to attack, you know, and so there's been a lot of discussion, I mean, especially the administrative level, if you want to get in trouble or not. But it's not being enforced. It's not. It's truly not really being enforced. And that's where you see FSU got

[Podcast Host]

hit with some sanctions on nal.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Right. I think. I think they got some sanctions, but I think none of them is severe. You know, they're not. None of them are losing. I mean, to what does NIL outweigh the costs? You know, they bring in this amazing transfer class. They're great. They go to the College Football Playoff. They don't care about those sanctions anymore. You know, and all this and all the nil stuff is just other programs trying to blackmail and, you know, bring down other programs.

[Podcast Host]

Exactly.

[Fernando Mendoza]

But the one thing that's super interesting, but that kind of salad mix of everything together, the NIL transfer portal and all these new rulings, is that you said all the great teams start inside the locker room is the ego thing. Now, hey, I'm not better than you. You and me are the same. We're brothers.

[Podcast Host]

Right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

I'm a fight for you. You're going to fight for me, no ego. We're the same now.

[Podcast Host]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Now we're being valued. You're worth 100k. I'm only worth 20k. What do you mean we're the same? You know, maybe you get on me. It's like your lease. You're getting paid more.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, exactly. So money makes it changes the whole dynamic.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Money changes the politics of the locker room. You don't see it at cows. You have a really good culture and no one's like putting money in other people's faces and stuff like that. But other programs that I've heard, I have friends at, not gonna disclose that, they say like, hey, like people are like, hey, I'm making this much like, what are you making? And they're not making anything. And nonetheless, there's still walk ons on the team that are paying for college, right. That like, especially like at Cal, we have a couple walk ons who are gonna be like, great this year coming

[Podcast Host]

out of their own pocket.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And so, I mean it's, it puts a lot of politics in the locker room. And especially with the schools now, now the rulings even makes it more complicated. The rulings, the school's paying directly. Like for example, FSU public school that needs to go on record how much they're paying everybody because they're employees.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So now you can search up online. How much is the FSU quarterback?

[Podcast Host]

Very true.

[Fernando Mendoza]

How much is all these? How much are the Alligator players getting paid? And I think that's gonna have a lot of animosity within the locker room and people jealous.

[Podcast Host]

Set an expectation too. Imagine you're going to go. You're a player that's being recruited. You're going to go. Now look, it's like, okay, FSU, they're getting paid 50k here, you know, UCF, they're getting paid 25 Bama, they're getting paid 100. And then you're like, well, I'm going to go there then because I'm seeing that they just are paying their student athletes X amount of dollars. Yeah. And it just alters decision making now too. It's, it's. That to me is kind of like the part that I wish they could have maybe put a little bit more emphasis on when they were kind of trying to build this program out of all nil and, and some of these other things that the NCAA is doing right now. But right now it's like highest bidder just go there, you know, and then what's, what's, what it's creating is these Players aren't even folks so focused on football. Obviously they're extremely talented and they have every right to go to these programs. But. But they're so more worried about their personal image as a person. Right. And building their brand and getting the social media followers and. And having all this hype around them. Because then what is it going to do? That big donor that's got a million dollars is going to say, hey, go over here. And I'll never forget the day that Travis Hunter got flipped to Jackson, Jacksonville State or Jackson State. Right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Portnoy basically bought him for a million dollars, essentially. And because he was boys with Dion, and Dion got him to go there, but he was an FSU guy, number one recruit in the nation at the time, and flipped for a million dollars. Obviously they went to Colorado and he got a bigger platform and a bigger stage. But if you're thinking NFL, Jackson State or Jacksonville State was Jackson State, right?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Jackson State.

[Podcast Host]

Jackson State. Jackson State was not going to give you the best shot of making it to the NFL because the NFL scouts, even though he might have all the raw talent in the world, are looking at him and saying, hey, you know what? You're not really playing against the best of the best, so how can we really accurately grade you to make it to the pro? He just took the money and rode. They maybe had a plan of action that Dion wasn't going to be there for a while and then obviously made it to Colorado and. And all that. But you can already see that people were altering decisions based off of the fact that where am I going to go get the money? And I get it. Imagine being that kid that didn't have that comes from a rough, you know, rough neighborhood. Their mom is working six jobs. Their, you know, the brothers all share a bedroom, and there's six of them in the bedroom. Like, money is essential, but at what cost does it become a problem? Right? Like, obviously there's the essential component that these kids deserve to get paid, but there's also. The component is like greed and like you said, egos that get involved. And I think that creates a larger problem in the long term of all of this.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, it creates a large problem. I mean, a couple of things I'll say about is football. First off, always everybody understands it's in the business. Football is a very, very physical sport.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Any point you saw like Jordan, Travis, boom.

[Podcast Host]

It's a good. That's another good point.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Let's say. Let's say if he was like in his first year, Boom, yeah. His nil value goes down at least like $500,000, you know, with a torn, like. Like, destroyed knee and everything. Like, luckily, he's, like, playing the NFL now, which is amazing for him, but it's very physical. I mean, you never know when your last snap is going to be. I mean, and you never know, especially, like, Drew Bledsoe, like, his last snap and he could come back, but, you know, never know. Someone could rise up.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So, I mean, the nil. I mean, especially with the transfer portal, is that kids are entering the transfer portal now and they're getting these offers, and whether they go to these schools or not, they have value and they have leverage. Their own school, they're like, hey, FSU wants to pay me 50, right? What are you gonna. Are you gonna match it or what's gonna happen?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And then it's a mini NFL, basically.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And especially with the egos and stuff like that, with the brotherhood. Like, one thing you see about the Columbus, I think Columbus is so great at football now, is the brotherhood. The culture is established, and, I mean, we all go work out there, like you said.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like Jordan, you know, like Elijah Roberts, Henry Parrish, Xavier Henderson, Shiloh Conway, and Trinity Conway. I mean, you just see all the Columbus guys working out there, and we're all working is because we were together for three, four years. Transfer portal. You're me and you are boys. And let's say you're the receiver. They bring in somebody and he starts right over you because they pay him. That creates a little bit of tension in the locker room.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely.

[Fernando Mendoza]

You know, we've been boys for four years, and all of a sudden they bring somebody else in. That could throw off the entire locker room dynamic.

[Podcast Host]

Very true.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Podcast Host]

Chemistry.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Our boy Johnny.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Like, he was the guy. Now all of a sudden, you're bringing somebody else in. Oh, you're bringing someone else to my position. You don't believe in me. You're paying him more than me. So it gets really. I mean, is. It's a fierce landscape, and I mean, hopefully some regulations get put on.

[Podcast Host]

It's going to take a while, I think, to balance out. I mean, I think it was the inevitable of what was always going to happen.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Sure.

[Podcast Host]

But it was just like. I think they just said, we're going to open the floodgates up and we're. We're going to figure it out as we go. I mean, the reality is the ends. You know, college football was making a ton of money, you know, so they had to make a way for Everybody else to kind of benefit on the player side of it. But they kind of just said, it's the Wild west and we'll figure it out as we go, and we don't really care what happens in between. But I mean, eventually, with all this money that's going to be poured, you're going to assume that there's going to have to be some sort of, like, cap.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah, I mean, you would think so, but you never know. Especially with. I saw a lot of, you know, private equity. They want to get into college football.

[Podcast Host]

That.

[Fernando Mendoza]

It's been like a whole.

[Podcast Host]

Saudis are.

[Fernando Mendoza]

The Saudis are talking to the Saudis

[Podcast Host]

about trying to buy them out to go to another conference.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. So, I mean, it's. I mean, it is crazy. But the one thing I will say and the one hope it has for a lot of players is, like you said, a lot of players aren't really focusing on football now.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

You know what I mean? There's a ton of, like, YouTube channels and this. Ton of, like, all this ways you can monetize all these other distractions, which is great because they're monetizing, but for the people who, you know, have that Tom Brady mentality, that Kobe Bryant mentality, whatever you want to deem it as, there is so many distractions if people are getting so, so distracted that it's. I would say that it's pretty. Not easy, because nothing's easy, but it's easier than ever to get to the NFL because kids want to stay an extra one or two years to get paid more. Kids are now like, hey, let me just. I'm doing social media now. You know, and so if you were to be a college player, who would grind, let's say back in the day, everyone used to grind head down. No, everyone's like, I need to make the league for the money, you know, no matter what neighborhood or where you grew up. Like, I need the money. I want to be successful in my career. So everyone puts their head down, grinds, grinds, grinds, grinds, grinds. Then you have that whole entire pack of players like, hey, trying to enter their third year, the year of eligibility, or their fourth year. But now you have players who are grinding distractions, you know, like doing photo. Like photo shoots, just doing whatever brand

[Podcast Host]

deals, whatever, all that stuff that goes into it. Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And maybe too much at some point that if you were to really grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, it could put you ahead. It could be a step ahead. Not saying that it's a golden ticket, but it could put you a step ahead 100%, then you would not have been exposed to. And kind of.

[Podcast Host]

That's a good point. Before you almost look at it as like an advantage compared to, you know, a distraction essentially where, hey, I'm not going to partake in that for the most part. You know, I might do a thing here and there, but my goal is football and I'm going to double down on football because that's what I want to do.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. And like, I heard a story. It was a kid at. Don't quote me on this, but it was a kid. It was an ACC conference. It was a team. ACC conference and a quarterback. You get four games for redshirt. And basically he played four games in the middle of the season because the starter got hurt and they wanted him to start the last three games of the season, but he said, no, I want to forego those three games, not play, let someone else play because I know my nil value is high and I want to transfer somewhere else.

[Podcast Host]

Are you serious?

[Fernando Mendoza]

So they let another kid play who ended up being better than him and then a kid's nil value dropped and he ended up transferring.

[Podcast Host]

But like, holy sn.

[Fernando Mendoza]

But also like, people need to realize, like if you're not playing those three games, like that shows other schools how you like what your character is. A quarterback, you're a leader. But still, people are so enamored with their nil value. Oh, I'm being treated amazing. I'm not treated. Treated enough that they're always looking for the quick way out. Hey, like I like, just look at what's in front of you. Like you're starting at this ACC program, you know, like, yeah, this is amazing opportunity.

[Podcast Host]

What you have.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Don't take for granted. Like, yeah, like you might make an extra whatever, a couple dollars. I mean, the end goal should be the NFL. I mean, my end goes NFL because that's where, you know, that's been my dream.

[Podcast Host]

Stuff like that. That's awesome. That's a good, That's a good point. That's. It's cool hearing that, you know, from you as a player and hearing like kind of like that internal point of view because it's, it's a monster of a. Of a topic right now.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Before we wrap up, we're going to do like a quick rapid fire questions. So first question I wanted to ask you was, what's your favorite Cuban dish? Like when you're back here in Miami, do you have like a go to dish that you have to go to?

[Fernando Mendoza]

The one thing I will say is it's not really a dish, but I would say it's a side.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Arroz con frijoles, everyone. I gotta have it. I. I was a fairly skinny kid, and now I've bulked up because these guys, like, I see them on tv, but when they're hitting you in person, I mean, it is like, I'm like, how could someone even grow and be that muscular?

[Podcast Host]

Get up.

[Fernando Mendoza]

If I took one of those, I didn't show you. I'll show you a picture after. Maybe put it on the screen. Whatever. This guy organization, he sacked me and I'm like, this guy can't be real. Like, how's he really? He's like tall. I think I'm a tall guy. Yeah, he's way taller than me. Way stronger than me. Just so I needed to bulk up a little bit. And even from a young age, like playing in Columbus, like higher level football.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And so my mom would make the best arroz con frijoles. And it's not the same as just putting a can of white rice and a can of black beans. Like, there's. There's an art to making homemade.

[Podcast Host]

It hits different.

[Fernando Mendoza]

So I would say that's. That's my thing right there.

[Podcast Host]

Do you have a favorite route that you like to throw?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Oh, okay. So I would say, I mean, to be honest, whatever gets me the completion would be the right answer and whatever gets the ball to my playmaker the easiest. But I would say my favorite play, I would say kind of like with the routes. I mean, it needs to be like a bread and butter play. I love, especially for us, I love the play action plays as we have amazing running back and amazing offensive line running back Jayden I. He's like ranked the third running back in the nation this upcoming season. So everyone bites up. We have like an either a nice big post go or corner route. And a couple overs to one of my best friends at tight end, Jack Endries.

[Podcast Host]

Hell yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And then a couple people in the flat. That's easy to check down to. So those are some of my favorite plays. But whatever Coach Blush calls, shout out Coach Blush and Coach Gilbert. So whatever they call, I'm good with.

[Podcast Host]

You're good with that?

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

What's. What's the game day playlist look like?

[Fernando Mendoza]

So funny enough, my philosophy changed on that midway through the season. As a quarterback. The week of the Oregon State game, the reason I was in there 7 to 9pm Wasn't because I was working out or wasn't because you know, anything physical, because at that point the work's done. You're not going to do anything in a week that's going to elevate your game major from, you know, maybe like a mid performance to an amazing performance.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Fernando Mendoza]

That work goes in the off season. You just gotta stay healthy mentally. A quarterback, it's like studying for a final every week. I have an entire routine every week. Saturday game, we win, happy, whatever, celebrate with my teammates. Sunday, come in. I need to at least watch and label four games of that team, whether it's previous season. If he's at D.C. at another school, watch that team he was at the year before. I need to watch these four games. Mondays, first downs, first down and tens. Tuesdays, second downs, Wednesdays, third downs, third wait. Wednesdays, third down, third downs. Thursday we have like red zones, a special situation, like two minute fourth downs and all that stuff. And then Friday, kind of like a little test. So what I'll do is I'll play those four games back and I'll be like, pause the pre snap and I try to go through this pretty quick. I'd be like, hey, what coverage are they playing? You know what play, what I call here. So I kind of have the call sheet there. And I'm like, hey, we'll play what I call here. And then me and the OC, we kind of go through it. So when I'm already, I'm there. We're doe Campbell, it's third and three. I'm like, all right, Wednesday I already know all the coverages they do third and three. So I'm like, I'm expecting this call and this call and the play calls, the OC calls it. I'm already ready for it. And I'm like, we're on the same

[Podcast Host]

mentally kind of viewing exactly what to expect in that situation.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Yeah. So I'm going through my notes the entire week. And that's why you see quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady so successful. They're not as talented as Patrick Mahomes or all these other guys physically. But their preparation, but their preparation. And that's the thing is when I listen to all the music, especially the music that gets disposed in the football space of all, like the rap and hip hop, it kind of clouds my brain. Yeah, it's like the game's so hyped up, I'm getting so hyped up, I can't think straight, you know, I'm getting so hyped, I'm going with the momentum quarterback. I'd Play by play, because you can't go with momentum. You need play by play. Hey, new play. Reset.

[Podcast Host]

You got to stay grounded, and you

[Fernando Mendoza]

got to stay grounded the moment you go with the waves. I mean, that's. That's when it gets a little risky, because, yeah, you can go up, but as soon as you go up one, one or two back completions, you go down, and the team goes down. So actually, like, I saw Josh Allen, he actually listened, like, the classical music or, like, it was like reggae or something, like, very chill. And so I started doing that, but then the end, I just stopped. On game days, I just don't listen to music, really, because it clears my head. And that's something that I find a lot more clarity.

[Podcast Host]

It's just you just getting in your head and just.

[Fernando Mendoza]

I'm thinking about it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Allowing you not to have any external distraction. Just literally you thinking and visualizing everything.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Visualization. Visualization is key. And one of my mentors, Mike Poloski, who played a cow when they were number nine in the nation and played many years pro, he said the biggest thing that took a step up in his game was visualization. So that's something that I'm working on now a lot that hopefully I can implement this season.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, you see that a lot with a lot of the biggest athletes across the board. Golf, you know, golfers are really big about the visualization because that's such a mental drain, essentially, where you don't have a team around you to, you know, elevate you or motivate you. It's. It's you thinking about the shot and not getting too much in your head when you're standing over that ball. You know, football, obviously, same thing. Baseball, same thing where they're there before the games, visualizing every scenario in their head, you know, and envisioning, go make that play, you know, to left center field, where I might have to be full sprint and make that play on that wall. Right. Or the throw at home or the pitch that I got to throw, you know, like, all that's in your head. And it's a good point, because, yeah, music emotionally can get you up. Right. You know, it has that effect, but like you said, it can actually dilute it because you're not thinking about the things that are going to go into your actual performance.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Exactly, exactly. And some of those, like, visualization, one of the big things you visualize, like, especially in those pressure moments. So when all the adrenaline and cortisol runs through your body, you recognize it and you're like, okay. I'm not gonna let this affect me because it's like fight or flight. You don't. You don't want to. A lot of people get scared in the big moment. And there's a couple moments last year that I was like, oh, shoot, Like, I'm in this moment, you know, like, it's just like, hey, when you play, like, what are you. What are we gonna do? I'm talking to myself.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Fernando Mendoza]

And being with a visualization this year. I mean, visualize that play. Hey, it's the game when you play, you know, let me recognize those feelings. And then I take it in order to not have the flight, but in. To take all that energy and put it into the fight. And I'm ready for those situations now. And that's something that I'm really looking forward to have this season.

[Podcast Host]

That's awesome. That's. That's. That's powerful stuff right there. Like, I mean, good for you, dude. Yeah, like, that's. That's impressive because that. That showcases a powerful human being, in my opinion. Like, you know, I mean, I'm sure you've seen the. The Kirk Cousins thing.

[Fernando Mendoza]

Oh, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

That's what that reminded me right there. Like. Yeah. You know, and that's. That. That it shows. It shows, man. So good for you. Like, we're rooting for you. I think it's going to be an awesome season. And keep doing what you're doing. We're definitely rooting for you. A lot of people are. And we're excited to see you play this.

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[Fernando Mendoza]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Fernando Mendoza]

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