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Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s candid comments about his personal life have returned to the forefront. In 2024, the presumptive top pick in this year’s NFL Draft revealed that he is avoiding dating during his college football career, citing the potential of a romantic relationship to create distractions.
“Especially with the girls, it can be very distracting,” Mendoza said at the time, playing for UC Berkeley’s Golden Bears. “You might find your first love in college and stuff, but … I’m going to give everything my all, so if I have a girlfriend, I’m going to give her everything.”
Mendoza’s clear-headed attitude resurfaced just days after he led the Hoosiers to the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)
“And I believe I will make it to the NFL,” Mendoza added in the clip shared in 2024. “But at this point, I have to limit all distractions.”
INDIANA’S FERNANDO MENDOZA SHARES LESSONS FROM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WIN ON LINKEDIN
While enrolled at Berkeley, Mendoza said he lived within a “three-minute walk of the facility.”
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws before an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (Darron Cummings/AP Photo)
From Mendoza’s point of view, having a girlfriend over the past few years could have prevented him from training to the extent he wanted.
“That means I go back from 6 to 9 [p.m.] just to hang out with her, maybe get dinner or something, instead of maybe picking up dinner on the way back from class and watching extra film for game week.”
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) gestures after the CFP National Championship college football game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Mendoza transferred from California to Indiana ahead of the 2025 season. He threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns and won the Heisman Trophy in 2025.
Mendoza and the Hoosiers completed an undefeated season with a 27-21 win over Miami in the national title game on Monday.
