Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza told Will Manso of WPLG Local 10 that he loved watching former Miami quarterbacks Brad Kaaya and Malik Rosier while growing up in South Florida. The Miami Columbus alum would have been between 12 and 16 years old when Kaaya and Rosier played for the Hurricanes.
Kaaya is first in Miami history with 9,968 passing yards and third with 69 TD passes from 2013 through 2015. Rosier finished his Miami career in the top 20 in program history in most categories. In 2017, Rosier led Miami to a 10-3 season and set the then-program record with 3,588 yards of total offense and 31 TDs responsible for.
Fernando Mendoza admired Brad Kaaya and Malik Rosier before playing at Indiana and Cal
Mendoza signed with California in the 2022 class as the 2,149th overall prospect, 140th QB and 288th player in California in the 247Sports Composite rankings. The previous Miami staff reportedly did not recruit Mendoza despite the fact he grew up less than a mile from the Hurricanes' Coral Gables campus.
As a senior in 2021, Mendoza completed 63.3% of his pass attempts for 1,169 yards with 11 TDs and four interceptions, and added 140 rushing yards on 30 carries with another score in 12 games, per MaxPreps. Mendoza had modest numbers as a three-star prospect.
I asked Fernando Mendoza about his memories as a Miami fan and guys he enjoyed watching. He said as a QB he loved Brad Kaaya and Malik Rosier. Nice shout out to those guys.
— Will Manso (@WillManso) January 17, 2026
He said he has pics of him at games with one side of face painted orange and the other side green.
The 2022 class was the first Miami signed under Mario Cristobal. Miami signed four-star dual-threat QB Jacurri Brown in the 2022 class. Tyler VanDyke returned for Miami as the 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Jake Garcia and Peyton Matocha were also back at QB in 2022.
After redshirting as a freshman in 2022, Mendoza was the starting QB for California in 2023 and 2024. Mendoza completed 66.5% of his passes for 4,712 yards, 30 TDs and 16 interceptions with 197 rushing yards and another four scores.
Mendoza completely changed the trajectory of his career with Indiana. Entering the National Championship Game, Mendoza has completed 73% of his pass attempts for 3,349 yards, 41 TDs and six interceptions with 284 rushing yards and another six scores.
There will always be hindsight on whether or not Miami should have signed Mendoza out of high school or as a transfer from California during the 2024 cycle. Mendoza transferring to Indiana and Miami signing Carson Beck as a transfer from Georgia has worked out exceptionally well for both programs.