Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza reached a milestone on Saturday as he graduates from college. The former Indiana quarterback graduated with a degree in Business Administration and Management from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared the news of Mendoza’s graduation on X, prompting reactions from fans, with many surprised he’s not graduating from Indiana.
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Jeff Ramsdell asked:
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“Didn’t he play for Indiana?”
Sean Johnson wrote:
“How in the world do you get to where they build your career and then graduate from UC Berkeley the same year? Make that make sense. College is broken.”
Woods commented:
“This is weird. Did he graduate from Indiana?”
Migiddy Mack Daddy wrote:
“So he was taking classes at Cal while playing for @IndianaFootball? If this would’ve been Shedeur, it would’ve been headline news.”
Matthew remarked:
“I thought Mendoza graduated from IU.”
Jammari Guest posted:
“I might just be slow, but can someone explain how he graduated from Cal if he was drafted out of Indiana? I know he transferred to Indiana from Cal.”
Why is Fernando Mendoza graduating from Cal instead of Indiana?
Although Fernando Mendoza’s breakout season came at Indiana, his college career started at Cal. He initially committed to the Golden Bears and spent three years with the program before transferring to Indiana ahead of the 2025 season.
The Raiders quarterback redshirted his first year at Cal before spending the next two years as the starting quarterback. Over two years as the Golden Bears’ starting quarterback, he threw for 4,712 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti convinced him to join the Hoosiers, where he was at the heart of the team’s offense last season. That single season was all Mendoza needed to become an Indiana legend, winning the national championship and the Heisman Trophy.
Unsurprisingly, the Raiders drafted Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick of this year’s draft. However, with Kirk Cousins around, the 22-year-old may not earn the starting role right away.
He took advantage of the Raiders’ OTAs to impress coach Klint Kubiak, who spoke to the media about him last Wednesday.
“Not disappointed,” he said after the team’s OTA practice on Wednesday. “He’s working his tail off. It’s very important to him that he asks a lot of great questions when he gets on the field. He’s no B.S.; he’s all ball.”
The Raiders kick off their season against the Dolphins on Sept. 13.
Edited by Kayode Akinwumi
