Thank you Avi for this excellent write up. You won't be surprised to learn that I violently agree with your assessment. Bottom line, his leaving Cal was far more a reflection on us than him, as everything that has played out has shown. Thank you Fernando for your time at Cal, and your gracious acknowledgment in your speech. Now go out there and win it all! Go Bears Forever!
Mendoza got his degree and helped us beat Stanford in a dramatic fashion last season. Nothing but respect for Mendoza. He gave a shout out to Cal, which was very nice
Will confess that the Go Bears Forever line had felt tainted with how things went down, or at least my read of how they went down. Appreciate you for holding onto the line, making it ours, even if I was too bitter to accept it. But now, thanks to Avi, I’ve learned two things that have made me reassess the past: that Fernando legit honored his time here, both by acknowledging it and by completing his degree. Good for him. And good for Cal. Go Bears, Forever.
We celebrate our Nobel Laureates who did their work here but moved on (and I’m sure there are some stories behind those moves) so let’s be happy for Fernando and look forward to the day when a Heisman statue has a home in CMS.
Well, Musgrave now has a CAL legacy. He may not have fared well during his time at CAL, but he was the only one to offer Nando, a two star player, a Division 1 Scholly...and now Nando won the Heisman. Musgrave obviously saw something that nobody else did.
It’s pretty simple really. Mendoza left not for NIL money because Cal could have matched anything that Indiana offered him. No, Mendoza left because after being repeatedly pummeled to the ground because the coaching staff couldn’t come up with either the talent or the player combination to provide him with an OL that could protect him, he knew that the Cal football program under Wilcox would never be able to coach him and his teammates to the level of a true P4 competitor. Whatever the background story, I agree that Mendoza did us, the very long suffering Cal fans, a huge favor by leaving and thereby becoming the catalyst for what today at least appears to be a huge change in the direction of the Cal football program and, equally important, a sea change in the institutional commitment and support for developing a competitive football program as part of an outstanding educational institution. For far too long, Cal administrations have been content to have Cal field what can charitably be described as “representative football teams.” That long era now appears to have come to an end with the Chancellor, football GM and our new coach all on the same page directed towards building a winning Cal football program. As for Mendoza, he’s clearly a fine young man who will forever carry a UC Berkeley bachelor’s degree on his resume. As basically a young, talented kid, he did what he had to do to achieve his dream by being educated at Cal while gaining football immortality at Indiana. And we now have the even more talented JKS around whom Tosh will be able to build a great football staff and team that we all are hoping will take our football program back to the national championship level that we haven’t seen since the days of Pappy Waldorf. I do not for a minute blame Mendoza for leaving for in the end, he did us a favor that will hopefully lead to a whole new era of Cal football.
Yeah, I can’t come up with any team I’d rather see win than Indiana. All the others (save for JMU and Tulane who are unlikely to make it out of round 1) have won enough big games for one lifetime. Also, I can’t not be a Fernando fan; love the guy!
I don't blame Mendoza at all for transferring. Very proud of what he accomplished. Fortunately, we still have a fantastically talented QB who will benefit from a program that is properly investing in success.
Great write-up, Avi. I don't blame Fernando at all for transferring. He had to do what was best for himself and his family. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Bloomington, and while wearing my Cal hat, witness him dismantle the bruins. Hopefully the second part of your thesis comes to fruition in '26.
Two corrections: 98 yards was against, not at, Stanford; and Fernando's mom has MS, not ALS.
“Some men get the world, some men get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona. You're in with the former, but my God I don't envy the blood on your conscience.”
Thanks for your insight, Avi. Let's hope this lesson sticks with those in charge of these decisions. Sports excellence is an important element in anyone's educational experience, either as spectator or participant. Haas, Class of '67. Big C Boxing.
Totally respect the opinions of all those who are either unaware of Mendoza’s actions towards Cal or simply do not care, and want to cheer for the guy: as if it will do anything to change the narrative surrounding Cal football. It won’t - he’s an Indiana guy. Only Cal people are going to recognize or celebrate this fool’s tie to the school.
At the end of the day, Fernando Mendoza actively sought to do damage to the Cal football program, on multiple occasions.
Less than a week after his impassioned Go Bears Forever speech, he quit on his team in a regular season game while taking Cal NIL $$$, after already trying to have sabotaged their future by poisoning the JKS relationship.
That is not the behavior of a friend - it’s the behavior of an insecure fraud…which IMO he is.
Again, I do not fault anyone for celebrating him…but I personally will never root for players that try to damage Cal athletics.
I’ve only been on here since last season. In that time the consensus has been that Wilcox is a joke, line play is non-existent, paltry run game, and zero stability at OC.
He opted out early last year and the optics suck. He should have owned it. At the same time, the SMU game and LA Bowl didn’t matter.
But I don’t understand feeling jilted like he left a playoff team for greener pastures like Kiffin.
My favorite part of the article is how it highlights that the pressure is on Cal to produce a functional team. You can’t expect potential first round picks at QB to risk their bodies and brains for games without stakes playing with O-lines that can get them hurt.
I don’t feel jilted at all. I honestly really don’t care, just weighing in on this topic as I do with many WFC articles because this site is the best in the business. We were lucky to get JKS back though…are people still glazing Mendoza if we were 4-8 this year with Devin Brown because he chased JKS off, and now one year closer to contraction?
Players transfer all the time…Ott did, Jet did, Nyziah did, Femi did, J Mike did, hell, JKS may still. That’s the portal era - I do not begrudge Mendoza for leaving to Indiana to play for a better coach with his brother. This has less to do with the fact that he left and more how he acted in doing so. That’s what I have a problem with.
And SMU DID matter. Regular season games matter. You beat SMU, you keep them out of the playoff, and you can get a better bowl for your school, which means more $, more practice time, etc. With possible /relegationcontraction literally on the table, winning matters. This isn’t some harmless, dogschitt bowl game in LA in front of 8,000 people. Regular season games are different, especially when you have taken CA Legends $ to play for the 2024 Cal team. Not suiting up in a regular season game is the sign of a guy afraid to compete.
Again, I don’t fault people for being happy for him and trying to claim him….I just don’t continue to root for guys that try to screw Cal.
I gotta agree with you on that, wherein if you take Cal $$ in any form, you honor your commitment, suit up and play for Cal.
Now, on to Hawaii and what will hopefully be a bright future for Cal football.
note: I, too really enjoy the WFC blog-o-sphere and comments, and how much passion fans have for Cal football. Can’t wait to see the upside to the new Admin-GM-football coach alignment and support for the players.
The moment the announcers said that Mendoza just that morning had called in “sick” I knew it was a phony/lying excuse to not play…..NO football player worth his salt sits out a game because he has a sore throat. Then I saw him chatting it up on the sidelines during the game and I knew it was a lie….but I didn’t know why. Then the next week he declares for the portal. Why didn’t he play SMU? He didn’t want to get hurt and threaten his deal with Indiana? Very strange. Seemed like he was pissed off at Cal for some reason. I didn’t know about his phone call to JKS. Frankly, seems out of character (if you believe his made for television persona). He obviously made the right decision for himself, and Cal has JKS (a much more exciting player to watch…..I’d describe Mendoza as workmanlike effective) for 1maybe 2 years. Mendoza certainly would not have won or come close to winning Heisman if he’d stayed at Cal so he’s going to make lots of money as a 1st round choice. Appreciate his shout out to Cal, but I wonder what his agenda was there? He’s a very complicated guy and I would never trust him if someone asked me to: but no one ever will, so what the hell….!
I mean, at the end of the day, of course things look a helluva lot better off today than they likely would’ve had Mendoza stayed in Berkeley another year…zero arguments - as Avi said it worked out best for everyone.
I think you’re right that it’s totally fair that players reimburse NIL cash if they’re not going to play all the games.
I am genuinely curious about sources for the Fernando/JKS stuff. I only read about college football on here and the athletic and haven’t seen anything.
I suppose I accept that FBS is pro sports without much loyalty. It helps me give Nando a pass knowing that JKS is better and the program seems to have learned some real lessons.
Avi: Tremendous article and it really puts to rest all of the naysayers who say that Cal can't prodiuce a competitive football team at a school with such demanding academics. When schools are willing to build and support the right "ecosystem", good things (like a Heisman Tropnhy) can happen. It's no different than the resources and dedication that have helped Cal build it's ecosystem of Nobel Laureates. Finally, like many of us on this blog, he is a Golden Bear for life. I wonder which school will get his shout out on Sunday or Monday Night Football? GO BEARS!!!!! FOREVER!!!!!!
great question...and as time goes by with the portal, he will not be alone in owing legitimate thanks to more than one school...Caldiana? Get on it Calgorithm!
Wow! As a kid I remember the fans gathering under a window on the north end of CMS chanting his name after a win until he came out to the balcony to riotous cheers… RIP Coach.
Congratulations to Fernando on winning the Heisman Trophy and on his exceptional year as Indiana's quarterback. He's an outstanding, compassionate young man, and it's pleasing that his three years at Cal built the foundation for this success. It is also very pleasing that he graduated from our great university this spring. In many ways, he will always be part of Bear Territory, and we wish him a future of many more successes.
Thank you Avi for this excellent write up. You won't be surprised to learn that I violently agree with your assessment. Bottom line, his leaving Cal was far more a reflection on us than him, as everything that has played out has shown. Thank you Fernando for your time at Cal, and your gracious acknowledgment in your speech. Now go out there and win it all! Go Bears Forever!
I agree with all of this
Mendoza got his degree and helped us beat Stanford in a dramatic fashion last season. Nothing but respect for Mendoza. He gave a shout out to Cal, which was very nice
Will confess that the Go Bears Forever line had felt tainted with how things went down, or at least my read of how they went down. Appreciate you for holding onto the line, making it ours, even if I was too bitter to accept it. But now, thanks to Avi, I’ve learned two things that have made me reassess the past: that Fernando legit honored his time here, both by acknowledging it and by completing his degree. Good for him. And good for Cal. Go Bears, Forever.
We celebrate our Nobel Laureates who did their work here but moved on (and I’m sure there are some stories behind those moves) so let’s be happy for Fernando and look forward to the day when a Heisman statue has a home in CMS.
Great article: made me feel better about Fernando's departure. He is a fine young man who deserves all of the accolades.
Well, Musgrave now has a CAL legacy. He may not have fared well during his time at CAL, but he was the only one to offer Nando, a two star player, a Division 1 Scholly...and now Nando won the Heisman. Musgrave obviously saw something that nobody else did.
He discovered. He just didn't know how to use it.
It’s pretty simple really. Mendoza left not for NIL money because Cal could have matched anything that Indiana offered him. No, Mendoza left because after being repeatedly pummeled to the ground because the coaching staff couldn’t come up with either the talent or the player combination to provide him with an OL that could protect him, he knew that the Cal football program under Wilcox would never be able to coach him and his teammates to the level of a true P4 competitor. Whatever the background story, I agree that Mendoza did us, the very long suffering Cal fans, a huge favor by leaving and thereby becoming the catalyst for what today at least appears to be a huge change in the direction of the Cal football program and, equally important, a sea change in the institutional commitment and support for developing a competitive football program as part of an outstanding educational institution. For far too long, Cal administrations have been content to have Cal field what can charitably be described as “representative football teams.” That long era now appears to have come to an end with the Chancellor, football GM and our new coach all on the same page directed towards building a winning Cal football program. As for Mendoza, he’s clearly a fine young man who will forever carry a UC Berkeley bachelor’s degree on his resume. As basically a young, talented kid, he did what he had to do to achieve his dream by being educated at Cal while gaining football immortality at Indiana. And we now have the even more talented JKS around whom Tosh will be able to build a great football staff and team that we all are hoping will take our football program back to the national championship level that we haven’t seen since the days of Pappy Waldorf. I do not for a minute blame Mendoza for leaving for in the end, he did us a favor that will hopefully lead to a whole new era of Cal football.
I feel differently about it approximately every 15 minutes.
Congratulations Fernando, you will always be a CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEAR to me, Thanks for 3 wonderful years !! Wishing you much success in the NFL!!!
And success in the CFP too!
Yeah, I can’t come up with any team I’d rather see win than Indiana. All the others (save for JMU and Tulane who are unlikely to make it out of round 1) have won enough big games for one lifetime. Also, I can’t not be a Fernando fan; love the guy!
I don't blame Mendoza at all for transferring. Very proud of what he accomplished. Fortunately, we still have a fantastically talented QB who will benefit from a program that is properly investing in success.
Great write-up, Avi. I don't blame Fernando at all for transferring. He had to do what was best for himself and his family. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Bloomington, and while wearing my Cal hat, witness him dismantle the bruins. Hopefully the second part of your thesis comes to fruition in '26.
Two corrections: 98 yards was against, not at, Stanford; and Fernando's mom has MS, not ALS.
Thank you for the corrections, fixed!
And our three quarters of great football was against, not at, Miami.
His recovery this year from the debilitating respiratory infection last season was remarkable, gotta say…
Ah cut him some slack. I hear it’s a common response to one’s first exposure to large sums of cash.
Come back player of the year
Seems like he was the Went Away player of the year.
As James Ellroy in LA Confidential put it:
“Some men get the world, some men get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona. You're in with the former, but my God I don't envy the blood on your conscience.”
wow...respect for digging that one up
As much as I would love to be Bud White, there’s an Ed Exley in all of us.
Hush Hush
And on the QT….
Thanks for your insight, Avi. Let's hope this lesson sticks with those in charge of these decisions. Sports excellence is an important element in anyone's educational experience, either as spectator or participant. Haas, Class of '67. Big C Boxing.
Totally respect the opinions of all those who are either unaware of Mendoza’s actions towards Cal or simply do not care, and want to cheer for the guy: as if it will do anything to change the narrative surrounding Cal football. It won’t - he’s an Indiana guy. Only Cal people are going to recognize or celebrate this fool’s tie to the school.
At the end of the day, Fernando Mendoza actively sought to do damage to the Cal football program, on multiple occasions.
Less than a week after his impassioned Go Bears Forever speech, he quit on his team in a regular season game while taking Cal NIL $$$, after already trying to have sabotaged their future by poisoning the JKS relationship.
That is not the behavior of a friend - it’s the behavior of an insecure fraud…which IMO he is.
Again, I do not fault anyone for celebrating him…but I personally will never root for players that try to damage Cal athletics.
Sources? Pretty juicy.
I’ve only been on here since last season. In that time the consensus has been that Wilcox is a joke, line play is non-existent, paltry run game, and zero stability at OC.
He opted out early last year and the optics suck. He should have owned it. At the same time, the SMU game and LA Bowl didn’t matter.
But I don’t understand feeling jilted like he left a playoff team for greener pastures like Kiffin.
My favorite part of the article is how it highlights that the pressure is on Cal to produce a functional team. You can’t expect potential first round picks at QB to risk their bodies and brains for games without stakes playing with O-lines that can get them hurt.
It’s been fairly well documented.
I don’t feel jilted at all. I honestly really don’t care, just weighing in on this topic as I do with many WFC articles because this site is the best in the business. We were lucky to get JKS back though…are people still glazing Mendoza if we were 4-8 this year with Devin Brown because he chased JKS off, and now one year closer to contraction?
Players transfer all the time…Ott did, Jet did, Nyziah did, Femi did, J Mike did, hell, JKS may still. That’s the portal era - I do not begrudge Mendoza for leaving to Indiana to play for a better coach with his brother. This has less to do with the fact that he left and more how he acted in doing so. That’s what I have a problem with.
And SMU DID matter. Regular season games matter. You beat SMU, you keep them out of the playoff, and you can get a better bowl for your school, which means more $, more practice time, etc. With possible /relegationcontraction literally on the table, winning matters. This isn’t some harmless, dogschitt bowl game in LA in front of 8,000 people. Regular season games are different, especially when you have taken CA Legends $ to play for the 2024 Cal team. Not suiting up in a regular season game is the sign of a guy afraid to compete.
Again, I don’t fault people for being happy for him and trying to claim him….I just don’t continue to root for guys that try to screw Cal.
I gotta agree with you on that, wherein if you take Cal $$ in any form, you honor your commitment, suit up and play for Cal.
Now, on to Hawaii and what will hopefully be a bright future for Cal football.
note: I, too really enjoy the WFC blog-o-sphere and comments, and how much passion fans have for Cal football. Can’t wait to see the upside to the new Admin-GM-football coach alignment and support for the players.
It’s gonna be glorious! Jimmy C gonna pump sunshine like you’ve never seen before in 2026!
The moment the announcers said that Mendoza just that morning had called in “sick” I knew it was a phony/lying excuse to not play…..NO football player worth his salt sits out a game because he has a sore throat. Then I saw him chatting it up on the sidelines during the game and I knew it was a lie….but I didn’t know why. Then the next week he declares for the portal. Why didn’t he play SMU? He didn’t want to get hurt and threaten his deal with Indiana? Very strange. Seemed like he was pissed off at Cal for some reason. I didn’t know about his phone call to JKS. Frankly, seems out of character (if you believe his made for television persona). He obviously made the right decision for himself, and Cal has JKS (a much more exciting player to watch…..I’d describe Mendoza as workmanlike effective) for 1maybe 2 years. Mendoza certainly would not have won or come close to winning Heisman if he’d stayed at Cal so he’s going to make lots of money as a 1st round choice. Appreciate his shout out to Cal, but I wonder what his agenda was there? He’s a very complicated guy and I would never trust him if someone asked me to: but no one ever will, so what the hell….!
Someone needs to write an article detailing the exact circumstances behind the infamous Mendoza JKS poisoning call
I mean, at the end of the day, of course things look a helluva lot better off today than they likely would’ve had Mendoza stayed in Berkeley another year…zero arguments - as Avi said it worked out best for everyone.
I think you’re right that it’s totally fair that players reimburse NIL cash if they’re not going to play all the games.
I am genuinely curious about sources for the Fernando/JKS stuff. I only read about college football on here and the athletic and haven’t seen anything.
I suppose I accept that FBS is pro sports without much loyalty. It helps me give Nando a pass knowing that JKS is better and the program seems to have learned some real lessons.
Agreed - we’re in a better place, and as you mentioned, he did give Cal a shout out, plus he got his degree.
But now he’s an Indiana legend…time for Cal to make a case for their own Heisman guy.
And yea, this NIL/transfer portal era is madness.
100% agree, Jimmy. It is indeed absolute madness!
I have no problem with players getting paid and NIL, etc.
I think immediate eligibility for undergraduate students upon transfer is insanity and is more damaging to the sport.
Avi: Tremendous article and it really puts to rest all of the naysayers who say that Cal can't prodiuce a competitive football team at a school with such demanding academics. When schools are willing to build and support the right "ecosystem", good things (like a Heisman Tropnhy) can happen. It's no different than the resources and dedication that have helped Cal build it's ecosystem of Nobel Laureates. Finally, like many of us on this blog, he is a Golden Bear for life. I wonder which school will get his shout out on Sunday or Monday Night Football? GO BEARS!!!!! FOREVER!!!!!!
great question...and as time goes by with the portal, he will not be alone in owing legitimate thanks to more than one school...Caldiana? Get on it Calgorithm!
to the tune of Oklahoma!
Great article. I enjoyed Nando and am happy for him and his family that he’ll be a top pick. Wild how much higher JKS’s ceiling is.
Great point...JKS is miles ahead of Fernando at the same time...two more years baby!
It’s not a perfect comparison, but it has some echoes of Vince Ferragamo—who found it best to give way to Steve Bartkowski and left for Nebraska.
I remember he wasn't happy that Cal wasn't serious enough about it's football program. Not like Nebraska and it's sold out stadium seats.
Ironically, speaking of the mid-1970s Cal football team, its leader, Mike White, has passed away...
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/former-illinois-head-coach-mike-030045475.html
Wow! As a kid I remember the fans gathering under a window on the north end of CMS chanting his name after a win until he came out to the balcony to riotous cheers… RIP Coach.
Congratulations to Fernando on winning the Heisman Trophy and on his exceptional year as Indiana's quarterback. He's an outstanding, compassionate young man, and it's pleasing that his three years at Cal built the foundation for this success. It is also very pleasing that he graduated from our great university this spring. In many ways, he will always be part of Bear Territory, and we wish him a future of many more successes.
Well-written, Avi.
The proof will be in the pudding.