Born in Boston on nearly the two-year anniversary of Tom Brady's first NFL start, Fernando Mendoza V spent most of his childhood in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables. His parents, Fernando IV, and Elsa, were both Ivy League college athletes -- Elsa a tennis player at Cornell and Fernando IV rowed crew at Brown. An introduction to sports for the younger Fernando and his siblings was not going to happen.
Mendoza took to football in elementary school, and his mother pressed him to play quarterback. She believed her son wouldn't be at risk for serious injuries at that position. It wasn't until Mendoza took notice of Brady, who was three Super Bowl wins deep at the time, that he gravitated toward quarterback. Mendoza loved how Brady managed games and led a franchise, and he wanted to be that for his teams. He wasn't even 10 years old yet.
Mendoza spent three of four high school seasons at Christopher Columbus Prep High School in Miami, the same school at which his father played. He started five games on the team that won the state title in 2019, then led the Explorers to a 6-0 record in a Covid-shortened season as a starter in 2020, earning a tri-county gold championship. Then he spearheaded the team to an 11-3 record and the FHSAA 8A semifinals in 2021.
Offers didn't come rolling in for Mendoza like other prospects -- schools like Penn, Yale, Lehigh and Bryant showed serious interest but other schools in Power-5 conferences didn't, even though he participated in high school all-star games like the Football Hotbed in Georgia and competed at college camps at LSU, Florida International and Miami. The Hurricanes didn't offer even though he grew up in their backyard.
He was a 247Sports three-star prospect, which didn't really help his case -- but he wasn't alone among future first-rounders overlooked as recruits. showing just how common that path was. Cal showed interest in 2022, and that's where Mendoza felt comfortable. He went there and graduated in early 2025 with a bachelor's degree in business before transferring to Indiana.
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It's incredible how much Mendoza is just like his new teammate-to-be Kirk Cousins. Both are smart, hard-working leaders who can process defenses in real time and have excellent poise and accuracy from clean pockets. Both display good mobility (Mendoza probably more so). Neither has cannons for an arm, but both possess more than enough arm strength to work in the league. And both are sometimes a hot mess and sometimes a hero under pressure from the defense.
Cousins was never quite good enough to lead his team on a deep playoff run, but Mendoza might because of how driven he is to improve and play at his best.
3. Here's an example of Mendoza making a good second read after looking left post-snap -- and an example of him taking the shorter, safer throw as he had two receivers streaking downfield. pic.twitter.com/wBqRChf3Mp
FIVE PLAYS: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana1. Iowa blitzes and shifts coverage at the snap, two things that Mendoza didn't always deal with well but this time he did as he places this deep ball perfectly between defenders & the sideline for a 37-yard gain. Stats say he didn't hit… pic.twitter.com/cZYpLe0gDS
5. HE FINDS WAYS TO WIN. Mendoza's signature run in the CFP title game is a brilliant fourth-down run call that easily gets a first down, but it's his balance, toughness and awareness that makes this what became the game-winning TD for IU. pic.twitter.com/YmaokGiTZu
It's clear Mendoza is the top quarterback in the 2026 class, but it's debatable whether Mendoza is at or near the top when compared to quarterbacks in the past three classes (not to mention the 2027 class). He has some flaws but almost all of them can be improved upon. He figures to be a very good fit for the West Coast Offense with some RPO principles mixed in, which the Raiders figure to use.
In due time, he could elevate to one of the top-10 quarterbacks in the league, though top-five might be a stretch. As long as his accuracy stays with him and his pass rush management improves, we should see Mendoza make multiple playoff appearances with the Raiders.