Despite the national noise Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is focusing on 'staying in the present moment'

Just four years ago, Fernando Mendoza was an unheralded high school senior unsure where his football career would take him. He was ranked as the No. 2015 overall player and the No. 128 overall quarterback in the 2022 Rivals Industry Ranking.

Mendoza didn’t have a Power Four offer and was unsure if one would come. It took until the end of his senior year for that first Power Four offer to come, but he took it and made the most of it. Now four years later, the unheralded South Florida native has reached heights he didn’t even think were possible.

“Did I ever think it was possible if I had to bet money on it? No, but it’s so great what God’s plan is and what you can do with a strong work ethic and a great support cast around you,” Mendoza said last week.

The Heisman favorite has taken the college football world by storm since transferring to Indiana.

He has led the Hoosiers to a program-best 11-0 start. He has already broken the school record for single-season touchdown passes with 30, and he has positioned himself to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft next spring.

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Many in his position would look at his high school recruitment as a dig at him and use it as bulletin board material, but Fernando Mendoza does the opposite.

He openly says he was a “raw prospect” but praises his coaches for helping mold him into the player he is today.  

Indiana quarterback coach Chandler Whitmer is one who’s had a huge effect on Mendoza’s growth.

“I don’t even think I can put it into words how much Coach Whitmer has meant to me, not only on the physical standpoint, but also the mental standpoint of the game,” Mendoza said.

“He has been such a blessing and honestly one of the huge reasons that I’ve been having the season that we’ve had so far. He’s really helped me become from a raw prospect to more refined. There’s still a long way to go.”

The outside noise surrounding Mendoza and the program has grown week after week, but his process has not changed one bit. Despite countless media requests, Mendoza and the program elected to wait until the bye week so he could protect his normal game week schedule.

The added noise also means added pressure for Mendoza to deliver week after week.

“So with the spotlight, and the spotlight, with the pressure of it, it comes with privilege. We are so blessed to be 11-0 at this point, and right now we’re just focused on being 1-0,” Mendoza said.

That’s been Fernando Mendoza’s mentality all season long.

Next game. Next drive. Next play.

“One of my main pillars is always staying in the present moment in order to make the most of the present moment, because the future is just a whole string of nows,” he said.

A lot of players say they are focused on the now, but it’s easy to look ahead, especially with Indiana on the precipice of a Big Ten Championship appearance and another College Football playoff run.

The only thing blocking Indiana from that Big Ten Championship game appearance is a 2-9 Purdue team that has yet to beat a power conference team, but Mendoza isn’t looking ahead.

Throughout his media availability, he emphasized that his focus is on the Purdue game and nothing past it. That next-play mentality has been especially important in clutch moments this season.

When Indiana has needed a moment of greatness from Mendoza, he has delivered every time.

“I would say that resiliency is a huge part of my game, and it’s really about mental performance,” Mendoza said. “I meet with a mental psychologist, a sports psychologist, every week, and I think that’s helped my game exponentially as we’re always focusing on what can we control. The next play is what we can control.”

On the road against Oregon, Mendoza made a critical mistake when he threw a game-tying pick-six in the fourth quarter.

With the game tied and the Autzen Stadium crowd roaring, Mendoza led Indiana on a 75-yard touchdown drive to retake the lead for good.

Against Iowa, with the game tied in the final two minutes after throwing a costly interception on the previous drive, Mendoza threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt for the win.

Then, against Penn State with his back against the wall, he led the Hoosiers 87 yards down the field with no timeouts to come from behind and win the game.

“I would say it’s all about being grateful and having gratitude in the present moment,” he said. “Allowing your nervous system, whenever you’re nervous in those pressure situations, in order just saying, hey, that’s my body getting ready. That’s my body that’s going to play better in these situations because it’s giving my body essentially like more energy and more focus.

“Then it’s really just controlling the controllables in the present moment rather than looking at the surroundings, whether it’s Penn State, Oregon, or Iowa, that the stadium is absolutely rocking and the ground shaking to really just focus on the present moment and your technique and where you can control that play.”

When the lights are brightest and the pressure is mounting, Mendoza has consistently played his best football.

Mendoza has a similar philosophy when it comes to his Heisman Trophy aspirations. Control what he can control.

“It would be an honor, but honestly, I can’t control those things. I can’t control who gets invited, who gets nominated, who wins. So right now, I’m just trying to make the most of my present moment and enjoy it,” he said.

Read: ‘Step back and cool down’ — Bye week comes at opportunistic time for Indiana ahead of hopeful deep playoff push

Mendoza is currently the odds-on favorite for the Heisman at -105 per BetMGM and will almost certainly be at the ceremony in a few weeks.

But he’s staying in the present. Mendoza credited another former Heisman Trophy winner for giving him advice on how to navigate the noise. 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart spoke to Mendoza earlier in the season.

“This only happens once,” Mendoza said about Leinart’s advice. “…Just enjoy it, take the present moment in. This is so special that although you can kick the can down the road, what an honor it is, and how grateful, and just giving all the glory to God, and how great it is that I’m in this situation.”

Four years ago, Mendoza would not have believed he would be where he is now.

The unheralded, under-recruited quarterback from South Florida’s meteoric rise to Heisman favorite and potential top NFL Draft pick is indicative of his work ethic and mentality. But while he is on top of the college football world, Mendoza still believes he has a long way to go as he continues to grow as a football player.

“I wouldn’t say that this is the pinnacle of my career by any chance,” Mendoza added. “I think I still have a long way to go. I still think I’m a raw quarterback prospect.”

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