University of California Athletics

Sophomore (2024)

• Appeared in 11 games. Threw for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 105 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
• Started in Cal's home opener against UC Davis and had 15 completions on 22 attempts, including one TD pass to Nyziah Hunter 
• Finished 25-of-36 for 233 yards, 2 TDs and no interceptions at Auburn. His 25 completions equaled a career high set previously vs. USC in 2023
• Completed 21-of-29 passes for 198 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against SDSU, his first INT through the first three games of the season
• Had the longest rushing TD of his career against SDSU on an 8-yd run
• Registered a career-high 303 yards passing at FSU and longest rush of his career for 26 yards
• Completed four passes of over 50 yards to four different receivers against Miami (66-yard TD to Jaydn Ott; 57-yard TD to Jack Endries; 56-yard pass to Jaivian Thomas; 51-yard pass to Trond Grizzell); the completions of 66, 57 and 56 yards were the longest three completions of his career.
• Completed 27 of 37 passes for 272 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions at Pitt. His 27 completions and completion percentage of 72.9% were career highs.
• Completed 30-of-42 passes for 282 yards against NC State with both his completions and passing attempts career highs. He was 16-of-20 (80%) in the first half to mark his fourth game in 2024 with an 80% or better completion percentage in the opening half.
• Completed 27-of-36 passes for a career-high 364 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 178.3 rating that was the second-highest of his career. The 364 passing yards were the most by a Cal quarterback since Jack Plummer had 406 at USC on Nov. 5, 2022.
• Also credited with 15 yards receiving and a touchdown receiving but no receptions against the Beavers when he completed a pass to Jaivian Thomas, who ran to the Oregon State nine-yard line before lateraling to Mendoza at the Oregon State 15-yard line before Mendoza ran the ball into the end zone.
• Named ACC Quarterback of the Week on Oct. 28 and Manning Award Star of the Week on Oct. 30.
• Completed 40-of-56 passes at Wake Forest for a career-high 385 yards and two touchdowns. His 56 passing attempts were the most since Davis Webb had 57 against Stanford in 2016
• Added career-high 51 yards on the ground, including one rushing touchdown, against the Demon Deacons
• Named ACC Quarterback of the Week for the second time on Nov. 11 and to the Manning Award Star of the Week list and Davey O'Brien Great Eight list
• Completed 22-of-34 passes vs. Syracuse, including one passing touchdown to Jonathan Brady
• Completed 25-of-36 passes for 299 yards and tied a career-high with three touchdown passes. Mendoza became the seventh Cal player to throw for 3,000 yards in a season and put up the ninth campaign of 3,000 or more passing yards by a Cal player. His current total of 3,004 yards passing in 2024 ranks ninth.
• Also had a career-long 50-yard run against Stanford that was also the longest by a Cal quarterback since at least 1999 with single-game digital records available beginning in 2000 and no other Golden Bears' signal-caller having a run as long as Mendoza's from 2000-24
• Named ACC Quarterback of the Week on Nov. 25, 2024, his third recognition of the season

Freshman (2023)
– Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Of The Year honorable mention selection of the Pac-12 coaches
– All-Pac-12 Fourth Team pick of Phil Steele
– Earned a spot on the Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll
– Named Cal's Jonathan and Judy Hoff Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year that recognizes a football student-athlete who has dedicated himself to a holistic approach toward academic, athletic and personal development by demonstrating consistent daily routines, persistent community outreach and collaborative leadership ability.
– Jonathan & Judy Hoff Scholar-Athlete Of The Week
– Played in nine games including starts in each of Cal's final eight contests
– Completed 153-of-243 passes (63.0%) for 1,708 yards with 14 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions for a 132.8 rating
– Posted three games with a rating of 157.2 or higher
– Added 48 rushes for 92 yards and two touchdowns on the ground
– Had one tackle
– at North Texas (W, 58-21) – 0-1-0, 0.0 rating; 1 rush, -3 yards, -3 long ... Cal debut
– Oregon State (L, 40-52) – 21-32-1, 207 yards, 2 TD, 38 long, 134.3 rating; 5 rushes, 41 yards, 14 long; 41 all-purpose yards; 41 yards from scrimmage ... first career start
– at Utah (L, 14-34) – 10-17-1, 149 yards, 2 TD, 48TD long, 159.5 rating; 7 rushes, 12 yards, 13 long; 12 all-purpose yards; 12 yards from scrimmage ... career-high passer efficiency rating
– USC (L, 49-50) – 25-39-1, 292 yards, 2 TD, 26 long, 138.8 rating; 8 rushes, 48 yards, 16 long; 48 all-purpose yards; 48 yards from scrimmage ... career-high pass completions, passing attempts, rushing yards, all-purpose yards and yards from scrimmage ... career-long rush ... team game captain
– at Oregon (L, 19-63) – 18-34-1, 177 yards, 30 long, 90.8 rating; 3 rushes, -12 yards, 7 long; -12 all-purpose yards; -12 yards from scrimmage
– Washington State (W, 42-39) – 14-21-0, 150 yards, 2 TD, 36 long, 158.1 rating; 7 rushes, 5 yards, 10 long; 5 all-purpose yards; 5 yards from scrimmage ... career-high-tying completion percentage ... first collegiate win as a starting quarterback
– at Stanford (W, 27-15) – 24-36-1, 294 yards, 3 TD, 54TD long, 157.2 rating; 6 rushes, -8 yards, 5 long; -8 all-purpose yards; -8 yards from scrimmage ... career-high passing yards and touchdown passes ... career-high-tying completion percentage ... career-long completion ... Pac-12 Freshman Of The Week (11/18 at Stanford)
– at UCLA (W, 33-7) – 19-30-2, 178 yards, 2 TD, 49 long, 121.8 rating; 1 rushes, -3 yards, 3 long; -3 all-purpose yards; -3 yards from scrimmage; 1 tackle ... third consecutive win as starting quarterback ... first career tackle
– vs. Texas Tech - Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (L, 14-34) – 22-33-3, 261 yards, 1 TD, 51 long, 124.9 rating; 11 rushes, 12 yards, 12 long; 12 all-purpose yards; 12 yards from scrimmage ... career-high rushes ... career-high-tying completion percentage ... career-high interceptions ... team game captain

Freshman (2022)
– Redshirted
– Did not play

Columbus HS (Class Of 2022)/Belen Jesuit HS (2018)
– Completed 107-of-169 passes (63.3%) for 1109 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions over 12 games, while adding 140 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries the ground as a 2021 senior for a team that finished 9-4 overall and won eight in a row before falling to Venice in the semifinals of the 8A Florida state playoffs
– Earned first-team All-Dade County for a squad that won all nine regular-season games as a 2020 junior, won a Tri-County title and reached as high the nation’s No. 14 team before opting out of the postseason due to COVID-19 after a delayed campaign that ended after nine games
– Team captain during both his junior and senior campaigns
– Got into five games for a squad as a 2019 sophomore that captured Florida’s 8A state title and finished 11-4 overall, completing 26-of-34 passes (76.5%) for 227 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions
– Spent his 2018 freshman season at Belen Jesuit HS as a reserve quarterback for a team that was 8-3 overall and reached the first round of Florida’s 8A state playoffs
– Also a member of the Columbus varsity tennis program
– A nominee for the Silver Knight Award given to a select group of high school students who have an outstanding academic history and an impressive community service record
– Other activities and roles have included campus ministry president, school vice president, social media director the honors program and lead tutor for the Y-Teach program at Columbus, as well as the freshman class president at Belen Jesuit
 
MaxPreps High School Bio And Stats
maxpreps.com/athlete/fernando-mendoza/gGGVIaTvEemA0ZFtwg1OMQ/default.htm
*Some Statistics May Be Unavailable, Not Listed Or Not Included
 
Recruiting Notes And Ratings (As Of February 2, 2022)
Stars: 247Sports (3), ESPN (3), 247Sports Composite (2), Rivals (2)
National Overall Player Rankings: 247Sports Composite (2084)
National Quarterback Rankings: 247Sports (131), 247Sports Composite (135)
National Pocket Passer Quarterback Rankings: ESPN (72)
Florida Overall Player Rankings: ESPN (216), 247Sports (250), 247Sports Composite (276)
Ratings/Scout Grades: 247Sports (82), 247Sports Composite (0.7932), ESPN (73), Rivals (5.2)
– Participated in the Elite 11 Regionals and the UnderArmour All-American Camp Regionals
– MVP of the Rivals Miami Wilson Connected camp
 
Other
– Born October 1, 2003
– Son of Fernando and Elsa Mendoza
– Coordinated the Columbus High School Turkey Drive in which 436 turkeys were given to families in need in Miami-Dade County
– Founding member of They Can Too, a global organization dedicated to helping and spreading awareness for youth in need
– Host of The Daily Take podcast
– Organized a Cuban Relief Service trip in which he and his grandfather Alberto Espino went to Cuba to give to back to their native community, locals and family members
– One of three hosts of the 2024 Golden Buddies Football Clinic for youth with and without disabilities along with Golden Bear teammates Jack Endries and Myles Williams
– Major is business administration

Last Updated
November 28, 2024