Still ‘Humble and Hungry’ – Mendoza Leaves Nothing to Chance
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Fernando Mendoza leaves nothing to chance, including warmups. He intends to be at his Indiana Pro Day quarterback peak because his former teammates need it, because he always strives to be the best version of himself, and it won’t happen without preparation.
It’s 30 minutes before this Pro Day session in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams and Mendoza warms up as if a national title game is at stake. He starts by doing light shoulder exercises and stretches, then throws a baseball-size ball against a Mellencamp Pavilion wall for several minutes, then moves to short throws to current receiver Charlie Becker that gradually get longer and more complex until becoming the throws he will make in this session.
More than 100 media members from all over the country, including the NFL Network and ESPN, watch.
Mendoza also takes center snaps, an NFL quarterback priority. Chandler Whitmer, last season’s IU quarterbacks coach and now in the same position for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, works with him on technique.
“Coach Whitmer is an amazing mentor,” Mendoza says. “He’s been a huge reason why I’ve developed so much from when I first got to Indiana to now. I would not be the same quarterback without him. I give him a lot of the glory and praise.
“He believed in me and worked with me on the technical part and the cerebral part as well as the character and leader parts.
“To work with him a little bit (at Pro Day) was great. He’s on another team, so it’s not easy to contact him. We still have a great relationship.”
Mendoza is not doing this Pro Day for himself. As the Heisman Trophy winner who led the Hoosiers to a 16-0 record and a national championship, he projects as the No. 1 pick in this month’s NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, likely going to the Las Vegas Raiders. They bring a full contingent, including newly hired head coach Klint Kubiak, who takes over with an offensive-focused reputation.
When it comes to the draft, nothing is ever guaranteed, but Mendoza confirms he talked to the Raiders during late February’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis and then in a follow-up Zoom session. At least one more conversation is planned.
Teammates such as Elijah Sarratt, E.J. Williams Jr., Riley Nowakowski, Roman Hemby, Omar Cooper Jr., Holden Staes, Jonathan Brady, Pat Coogan, Kaelon Black and more are awaiting their opportunities as well.
Mendoza aims to help them.
Receivers, running backs and tight ends all got together a few days earlier to devise a throw-and-catch plan and then practiced routes designed to showcase their ability. As Mendoza says, “Run routes that are applicable to the timing we’ll run in the NFL.”
In other words – do everything with game urgency.
Mendoza gathers everyone at midfield for final instructions. He is, without question, the leader. Action begins with a series of short and long throws. He announces what the routes will be and who will run them. His throws are crisp and accurate, textbook spirals of purpose.
The session is, in so many ways given these what’s-in-it-for-me times, unprecedented.
“My main goal was to serve my teammates,” Mendoza says. “I think I was able to do that.”
Fifty-six balls are thrown, and 53 are caught. One is dropped, but the ball is scooped up by the receiver and the route completed with this shouted encouragement -- “Finish!” Another receiver slips while making a cut, then recovers for a catch and run, and hears, “You’re good!”
Hoosiers have each other’s backs.
Finally, Williams Jr. lines up.
“E.J. post to the right!” Mendoza shouts. Williams Jr. sprints toward the end zone. Mendoza launches a pass that travels 65-plus yards. The catch is made. Applause breaks out. The session is over. Players gather in the end zone to celebrate, ending with “Brothers on two!”
It’s reminiscent of celebrations that followed big plays during the season -- think Cooper Jr.’s spectacular game-winning catch at Penn State as example No. 1 -- and brings bittersweet emotions given these players will likely never again have such an opportunity with each other in an athletic setting.
“It was a moment of gratitude to be with all those guys and think about all the special moments I’ve had with each individual,” Mendoza says. “We got to revisit all those good times we had together. It was very special.”
In the aftermath, Mendoza adds, “They did so much for me. So many times, they saved my butt. They are my best friends for life. It was special to be out there and show I appreciate them.
“I wanted to make sure everybody could showcase his abilities in front of all 32 teams. Put them in position to make plays. I think everything went great. Everyone showcased amazing. I’m very excited for them and their futures.”
Those teammates appreciated Mendoza giving them this chance.
“For him to be out there means everything,” Hemby says. “He’s a great leader, a great person, a great player.
“He pushes everybody around him. Everybody knows his situation. He doesn’t have to do some of the things he does. He wants to showcase the rest of the guys. It shows what type of person he is. We all love him.”
Adds Nowakowski: “It speaks to his character. He’s a great guy. He comes from a great family.
“It’s all the little stuff he does. He came here four days ago and had us running through routes multiple times so we could clean up everything to make it as beneficial for us as possible. It helped showcase what we can do.”
Mendoza is poised to go where only fullback Corby Davis has gone in Hoosier history -- be the NFL’s overall No. 1 pick.
Davis was selected by the then Cleveland Rams in 1938. World War II limited him to four NFL seasons.
IU’s last first-round pick came in 1994, when receiver Thomas Lewis was the 24th overall selection by the New York Giants.
Mendoza says his goal is not to go No. 1.
“I want to be the best version of myself. I’m trying to be the best quarterback I can be in September, not in April. I’m putting all my effort toward trying to be the best quarterback possible for the season.”
Mendoza’s best at the college level shattered IU records. In his only Indiana season after transferring from the University of California, he completed 72.0 percent of his passes for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. He also rushed for 276 yards and seven TDs, and he became the first Hoosier to win the Heisman Trophy. His fourth-quarter, fourth-down touchdown run against Miami in the national championship game rates among the best plays of the 21st Century, and likely any century.
But the biggest accomplishment was leading Indiana to that 16-0 record -- Yale in 1894 is the only other college team to finish 16-0 -- and its first-ever national title.
Now comes the biggest question -- can Mendoza excel at the NFL level? The answer is just as much mental as physical, he says.
“We ended so strong to go 16-0. When you do that, it’s easy to get fat and happy. We get all this praise. For me it was like, you might be the top pick.”
Sticking with head coach Curt Cignetti’s winning approach, Mendoza adds, keeps things in perspective and leaves him pushing for more.
“I’m trying to learn from a great mentor, Curt Cignetti. You kill the complacency. Every day make sure you’re staying humble and hungry to get the best out of yourself.”
What will it take to thrive in the NFL?
“It will be a lot more playing under center,” Mendoza says. “That’s a big adjustment. It’s just reps. I don’t think I struggle with it. I’ve played on a wing-T offense before.
“It’s me being able to be under center and pivot, move and manufacture the run game and play-action efficiently. That’s a huge step. I’ve already taken a huge step, and I look forward to taking more.”
Beyond that, he adds, “It’s the nature of the (pro) game. The hashes are more condensed, and the speed of the game is faster.
“All of those are things I look forward to learning. I look forward to learning from the new coaching staff I’ll be blessed to have. There will be some struggles, and I want to turn those into successes.”
And so, as draft day approaches, Mendoza continues to prepare. That’s what he does. That’s all he does. And for this, in truth, no one does it better.