From Berkeley to Bloomington: The CEO of Indiana Football
The most prestigious award in college sports has been given out this year to Indiana’s Fernado Mendoza.
Mendoza had an unbelievable year at Indiana after transferring from Cal. The 6,5 Quarterback had a 3-0 record and the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking. He completed 226 of 316 passes for 2,980 yards and a nation-leading 33 TD passes, while rushing for 240 yards.
Mendoza secured his Heisman trophy from the Big Ten championship game against another Heisman trophy finalist, Julian Sayin, from Ohio State. Mendoza went 15/23 with 222 passing yards and 1 touchdown, leading Indiana to their first Big Ten championship since 1967. And giving Indiana the one seed in the College Football playoffs.
Mendoza finished the Heisman voting with 643 votes, beating runner-up Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Pavia received 189 1st-place votes.
Fernando Mendoza is not the average college quarterback. He has a significant interest in the business and finance world, having completed multiple internships. Mendoza stays very active on his LinkedIn page as well. A few of the things he has on his page are that he earned his undergraduate degree in business administration in just three years from Cal. He has also had two internships. His first internship, with Acre Investment Company, is described on LinkedIn as “a Northern California-based investment firm pursuing value-add commercial and residential real estate opportunities.” In the summer of 2024, Mendoza interned with Newmark, a commercial real estate advisor and service provider to large institutional investors and global corporations. Mendoza sees a future beyond football, and his LinkedIn proves it.
Wall Street is Mendoza’s least worry right now. He has led Indiana to the number one seed in the College Football Playoff and Indiana’s first College Football Playoff win, beating Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers and Mendoza are not done yet, as they face off against Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinals on January 9th, in their path to their first national championship.
Sources https://www.heisman.com/articles/indiana-quarterback-fernando-mendoza-wins-2025-heisman-trophy/
