MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — When Fernando Mendoza was coming out of Christopher Columbus High in Miami, he was rated the 255th recruit in Florida. A two-star prospect. Not wanted by any major program. Now, he’s one snap away from a national championship and the likely No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
Mendoza and his Hoosiers face Carson Beck and Miami on Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium in the College Football Playoff national championship game. Both quarterbacks are Florida natives returning home for the biggest game of their lives, but their journeys to this stage could not be more different.
Mendoza began his college career at Cal, where he started for two years before entering the transfer portal. He chose Indiana not because of promises of immediate success, but because of coach Curt Cignetti’s track record of developing quarterbacks.
“There were a lot of teams in the transfer portal that really sold me on, ‘Hey, we’re going to be a great team. We’re going to have great players around you,’” Mendoza said. “However, Coach Cignetti really sold me on ‘We’re going to develop you. I don’t have a crystal ball. I can’t tell if we’re going to be in the Top 25 in the nation, No. 1, or outside of that Top 25. However, I know that I develop quarterbacks. It’s what I do.’”
The Heisman Trophy winner has proven to be the nation’s most efficient quarterback this season, leading the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record and the top seed in the playoff. He has been supported by a 1,000-yard rusher, a 900-yard rusher, and two wide receivers with over 800 yards.
Mendoza doesn’t dwell on his low recruiting ranking. “I was a two-star prospect. I sucked. Like, I wasn’t very good,” he said. “It’s only a little mark, a little identification, just because college recruiting is so tough nowadays. However, it’s your decision at that point on how you’re going to have that work ethic.”
Beck’s Road Through Injury
Carson Beck’s path took a painful turn in the 2024 SEC championship game. While attempting a Hail Mary at the end of the first half, Texas defensive end Trey Moore hit him, bending his right arm backward and causing a ulnar collateral ligament injury. Beck had been set to enter the NFL draft, but the injury changed everything.
He entered the transfer portal and came home to Miami, where he could not participate in spring practice and still could not throw a football for some time. But he recovered enough to pass for 3,581 yards with a 73% completion rate this season.
“I made that decision, and here we are,” Beck said. “Obviously, there’s times where you doubt yourself through that process. There’s times when it’s really hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel in that process.”
As a No. 10 seed, Miami surprised many by making the playoff, then knocked off higher seeds Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss. Beck, who was part of two national championship teams at Georgia but never started a title game, now has his chance.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal praised Beck’s leadership: “He epitomizes the ability to take an adverse situation and turn it into something that helps him grow and mature and become the stronger version of himself.”
Two quarterbacks, two drastically different routes. Only one will lift the trophy Monday night.
