NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s candid comments about his personal life have come to the forefront again. In 2024, the presumed top pick in this year’s NFL draft revealed that he avoided dating during his college football career, citing the potential for a romantic relationship to create distractions.
“Especially with girls, it can be very distracting,” Mendoza said during his time playing for the UC Berkeley Golden Bears. “You might find your first love in college and stuff like that, but… I’m going to give it my all, so if I have a girlfriend, I’m going to give her my all.”
Mendoza’s clear stance resurfaced just days after leading the Hoosiers to the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff national championship.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
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, Florida. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)
“And I believe I will make it to the NFL,” Mendoza added in the shared clip in 2024. “However, at this point, I need to limit all distractions.”
INDIANA’S FERNANDO MENDOZA SHARES LESSONS FROM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY ON LINKEDIN
While enrolled at Berkeley, Mendoza said he lived “a three-minute walk from 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 perspective, having a girlfriend in recent years might have prevented him from training as much as he wanted.
“That means, I’m going back there from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. [p.m.] just to hang out with her, maybe have dinner or something, rather than maybe going to dinner on the way home from class and watching an extra movie 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, Florida. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Mendoza transferred from California to Indiana before the 2025 season. He threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns and won the 2025 Heisman Trophy.
Mendoza and the Hoosiers capped an undefeated season with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the national title game last Monday.
