Fernando Mendoza

Fernando Mendoza is a Cuban-American football quarterback who was selected first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was born October 1, 2003, in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Miami, Florida, in a family whose four grandparents were all born and raised in Cuba before emigrating to the United States following the 1959 revolution.

He attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami-Dade, where he was the starting quarterback. He began his college career at the University of California (Cal) from 2022 to 2024, transferring to Indiana University in December 2024. In his lone season as a Hoosier, in 2025, he led the team to an undefeated 16-0 season and the College Football Playoff National Championship, defeating Miami 27-21. That season he won the Heisman Trophy along with the Walter Camp, Davey O'Brien and Maxwell awards as the nation's top player and top collegiate quarterback.

In his Heisman acceptance speech, Mendoza spoke partly in Spanish as a nod to the Hispanic community, and has said in interviews that his Cuban-American heritage and his grandparents' sacrifices have been central to his identity. Through the Mendoza Family Fund, he has pledged $500,000 toward multiple sclerosis research at the University of Miami, a condition his mother, Elsa, has lived with for nearly two decades.

In 2026 he was named to People en Español's "50 Most Beautiful" list, in a category spotlighting rising Latino athletes.