Fernando Mendoza and his family are watching the NFL Draft at undisclosed secure location in Coral Gables. While no harm is clearly intended by Mendoza and his family, it is one final reminder of the pain Mendoza caused Miami when he led Indiana to the National Championship over the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in January.
Annoyed Miami fans could point out the multitude of other restaurants in South Florida that are not in Coral Gables for Mendoza and his family to celebrate at. In fairness, Mendoza's mother is fighting courageously against Multiple Sclerosis. Elsa Mendoza is a Miami alum who played tennis for the Hurricanes.
Elsa Mendoza was diagnosed with MS in 2008. It began to worsen after a skiing accident around 2017 or 2018 and a COVID diagnosis in 2020. Mendoza played at Miami Columbus High School, the same program that produced Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal.
Miami center Ryan Rodriguez and safety Bryce Fitzgerald are Columbus alums. Mendoza's father, Fernando Sr., Cristobal and Mirabal were teammates at Columbus. Mendoza and Rodriguez were teammates at Columbus. There are a lot of connections with Miami and the Mendoza family.
Fernando Mendoza, who is not in Pittsburgh for tonight's NFL Draft, is celebrating with family and friends in Florida. pic.twitter.com/TzLqt7IiGg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 23, 2026
Going in different directions
Per Mendoza, he was not recruited by Miami out of Columbus when Manny Diaz was the head coach of the Hurricanes. Mendoza was originally going to attend Yale. It has been noted that California came in late and offered Mendoza a scholarship.
Mendoza was a three-star prospect and the 191st-ranked QB in the 2022 class. After redshirting as a true freshman, in two seasons playing for Cal and one at Indiana, Mendoza completed 68.6 percent of his pass attempts for 8,247 yards, 71 touchdowns and six interceptions with 473 rushing yards and another 15 scores.
After entering the Transfer Portal in 2025, Mendoza transferred to Indiana. Miami chose Georgia QB Carson Beck. The decisions worked out well for both programs. Mendoza completed 16 passes in 27 attempts for 186 yards in the National Championship Game against Miami.
Beck had 19 completions in 32 attempts for 232 yards, one TD and one interception with a 124.3 passer rating for 117.1 for Mendoza in the National Championship Game. Miami was driving for a potential game-winning TD on the final drive, but Beck threw an interception.
Fernando Mendoza founded the Mendoza Family Fund with his brothers Alberto and Max and his parents in 2025 to benefit MS. While the loss to Mendoza and Indiana hurt Miami fans who have been waiting since January 2002 for another National Championship, but Mendoza and his family make South Florida proud.
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