Called it earlier this season. I was “pooh-poohed”: Mendoza was not big enough, not skilled enough, wasn’t drafted by a big name football uni out of high school, etc., etc.
Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Welcome to the era of NIL. Pay up or shut up. No two ways about it. The show goes on and best of luck to all the players that move on. As for Cal football…get with the program (NIL) already or relegate the program, it’s getting sorry.
It's over. I'd say Cal football had a good run but it was usually a program that only a mother could love. Thanks for the memories and to the superb team at W4C for the coverage and camaraderie. Someday the Golden Bears will win the Rose Bowl and I hope to be there.
His mother has severe MS. She is completely immobile. He wants to be near her. I'm sure this is the main reason for his going into the portal in hopes he will get picked up closer to home.
Does this mean the Mendoza burrito is done? I really like that thing.
Side note: I've been legit depressed by this all day, only because I thought Fernando would be one of those kids that was going to circumvent whatever this debacle of "college" football is at this point. Silly me.
Agreed. Hey, if he ends up at the U and close to his ailing Ma, awesome. More power to him…but he won’t be one of the all time greats in South Beach as he could have been here.
Perhaps he realized that with JW, his 3rd OC in as many years, and an OL that would be better as matadors ("Ole", and the rusher blows by), he figured no chance anyone can become a Cal legend. Go to an exiting coach, a playoff team, a big bag, and a chance to play with your brother. No brainer.
Looked at another way: how many offensive players have been drafted in Wilcox' regime?
Wilcox has so badly and so consistently mismanaged his personnel, and this roster especially, that Mendoza leaving should not surprise anyone in the slightest….JW is as inept of a football CEO as you will find anywhere…I know I am risking the ire of the LB Coach, who will say ridiculously silly things like I am a bad Cal fan that only goes to games so I can boo Justin Wilcox because I apparently think I know more than him. Whatever.
There's a very large part of me that is relieved I didn't commit any resources or move any obligations to try to fit in an LA Bowl trip next week. But another part of me that wishes I was there to hug and cry it out with other Cal folks.
I have tickets and thought of skipping the game but then I recalled another terrible NSD in the last decade and Bryce Treggs' comment afterwards--"We all we got, we all we need."
So here we are again.
At that point, I decided to go. I want to root for the players who chose to stay. I may not be happy with the game result, but they deserve to have Old Blues rooting for them unconditionally anyway.
That 2012 class was the most "what could have been" moment. The downfall of Cal Football had began in 2007, but 2012 was the final dagger that had cursed Cal Football to the very bottom and we still have not crawled out of it.
I truly enjoyed Fernando's era. A reminder of a true Student-Athlete ... like Russell White. He's from Miami, he's very involved with bringing attention to his mother's MS condition back home and his dad played HS football with the Hurricanes' HC. Wilcox stayed with Cal when Oregon was calling. A few plays, referee calls and kicks and we might be a top 15 team right now. It was a painfully enjoyable season. We'll always have those 98 yards on our turf ...
Well, let’s not go patting Wilcox on the back too much…he had $28M reasons to stay at Cal, despite being completely and utterly unworthy of such a contract.
Now I am all for starting over. Get rid of Knowlen. Get rid of Wilcox. hit the reset... so I get it... I am frustrated too.... BUT...
I see a lot of comments talking about loyalty and how it's gone and coaches, and players are all jumping ship when something better comes along... everyone bemoaning how things are in the current days...
and then we are bashing Wilcox who have been loyal to Cal and demanding we move on. I know it seems crazy, but Wilcox did get strong overtures in the past from Oregon and it isn't like Cal is giving him the best of opportunities to succeed. We aren't the best football school, football doesn't get as much support, yet we dish out a lot of criticism.. but he stayed.
I thinks ok to vent. Ok to demand to have the cake and eat it too... but just sharing my observation that the demand for loyalty only seems to go one way :)
He hasn’t had a winning season since 2019. Those Oregon overtures were 5 years ago. We have been loyal to Wilcox, not many coaches who have never produced a winning conference record get 8 seasons. Should we have kept Holmoe for 8 seasons because he was a good guy and was loyal to Cal?
This is the ugly world of college sports, these days. Dont tell me Mendoza was hurt last week. Wilcox knew Mendoza was transferrng and didn’t play him. I’m sure Mendoza already has a big payday set up with another team. It’s all about money, . Take the case of the number 1 HS basketball recruit going to BYU. He is getting funded by the Utah Jazz. College sports is a joke right now, it’s really sad. I was a huge Mendoza fan, just like I was a Sturdivant fan a few years ago, it sad Cal can’t any quality players under Wilcox. It’s like CAl is a AAA p team for other programs. Now loosing a QB and getting a new shaky OC, how long can you go with Wilcox? The Knowlton era can’t end soon enough.
Let's wait and see. Cam Ward went from Incarnate Word to WSU and lit it up. When the PAC12 blew up he went to Miami and is a Heisman candidate. There are some really good unknown QB's out there, some at lesser programs. We need to find one or two of them.
If he ends up at UCLA all the good will is gone lol
Called it earlier this season. I was “pooh-poohed”: Mendoza was not big enough, not skilled enough, wasn’t drafted by a big name football uni out of high school, etc., etc.
Sometimes I hate being right. 😢
Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Welcome to the era of NIL. Pay up or shut up. No two ways about it. The show goes on and best of luck to all the players that move on. As for Cal football…get with the program (NIL) already or relegate the program, it’s getting sorry.
It's over. I'd say Cal football had a good run but it was usually a program that only a mother could love. Thanks for the memories and to the superb team at W4C for the coverage and camaraderie. Someday the Golden Bears will win the Rose Bowl and I hope to be there.
Gimme the Sun Bowl, j-webs!!
What ever happened to 98 yards with my boys? What was that raw emotion you showed on the ACCN interview just to betray us?
Make sure not to bring the "Flu" with you to Miami.
Totally agree. Mendoza is well suited to this era of dishonest double talk. He will surely get into politics later on.
His mother has severe MS. She is completely immobile. He wants to be near her. I'm sure this is the main reason for his going into the portal in hopes he will get picked up closer to home.
That Indiana commitment is gonna hit different.
It's that for sure or still just rumors?
Who knows…someone said Indiana was 100% a done deal.
Miami certainly makes more sense…Toohandy seems pretty certain because he parks his car in the same 5-1-0 area code on gamedays as the Mendoza’s do.
whose the someone?
His brother is a Frosh QB for Indiana. I guess Big Bro will make him wait a little longer.
https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/football/roster/alberto-mendoza/18923
Ya. Maybe the family is moving from Miami to Bloomington…
with the Bag both are making, the 'rents could fly private charter
Does this mean the Mendoza burrito is done? I really like that thing.
Side note: I've been legit depressed by this all day, only because I thought Fernando would be one of those kids that was going to circumvent whatever this debacle of "college" football is at this point. Silly me.
It’s now the Brady Burrito.
Careful…he’s hopefully not gone too.
Agreed. Hey, if he ends up at the U and close to his ailing Ma, awesome. More power to him…but he won’t be one of the all time greats in South Beach as he could have been here.
Now, he will never be a Cal legend. He’s a blip.
Perhaps he realized that with JW, his 3rd OC in as many years, and an OL that would be better as matadors ("Ole", and the rusher blows by), he figured no chance anyone can become a Cal legend. Go to an exiting coach, a playoff team, a big bag, and a chance to play with your brother. No brainer.
Looked at another way: how many offensive players have been drafted in Wilcox' regime?
Wilcox has so badly and so consistently mismanaged his personnel, and this roster especially, that Mendoza leaving should not surprise anyone in the slightest….JW is as inept of a football CEO as you will find anywhere…I know I am risking the ire of the LB Coach, who will say ridiculously silly things like I am a bad Cal fan that only goes to games so I can boo Justin Wilcox because I apparently think I know more than him. Whatever.
There's a very large part of me that is relieved I didn't commit any resources or move any obligations to try to fit in an LA Bowl trip next week. But another part of me that wishes I was there to hug and cry it out with other Cal folks.
I have tickets and thought of skipping the game but then I recalled another terrible NSD in the last decade and Bryce Treggs' comment afterwards--"We all we got, we all we need."
So here we are again.
At that point, I decided to go. I want to root for the players who chose to stay. I may not be happy with the game result, but they deserve to have Old Blues rooting for them unconditionally anyway.
That 2012 class was the most "what could have been" moment. The downfall of Cal Football had began in 2007, but 2012 was the final dagger that had cursed Cal Football to the very bottom and we still have not crawled out of it.
Hey, bowl games are a blast…Insight Bowl remains one of the greatest Cal games I have seen live. The Holiday Bowl win over A & M was also a blast.
Go Bears!
Had to cancel my trip because of the move but would’ve done so today regardless.
I truly enjoyed Fernando's era. A reminder of a true Student-Athlete ... like Russell White. He's from Miami, he's very involved with bringing attention to his mother's MS condition back home and his dad played HS football with the Hurricanes' HC. Wilcox stayed with Cal when Oregon was calling. A few plays, referee calls and kicks and we might be a top 15 team right now. It was a painfully enjoyable season. We'll always have those 98 yards on our turf ...
Well, let’s not go patting Wilcox on the back too much…he had $28M reasons to stay at Cal, despite being completely and utterly unworthy of such a contract.
My question is, what happened between last week when Wilcox essentially stated that Mendoza was staying and now?
That’s the $64K one…
Would also love to hear if Mendoza’s status at the time played any role on JKS’ last minute change of heart.
Now I am all for starting over. Get rid of Knowlen. Get rid of Wilcox. hit the reset... so I get it... I am frustrated too.... BUT...
I see a lot of comments talking about loyalty and how it's gone and coaches, and players are all jumping ship when something better comes along... everyone bemoaning how things are in the current days...
and then we are bashing Wilcox who have been loyal to Cal and demanding we move on. I know it seems crazy, but Wilcox did get strong overtures in the past from Oregon and it isn't like Cal is giving him the best of opportunities to succeed. We aren't the best football school, football doesn't get as much support, yet we dish out a lot of criticism.. but he stayed.
I thinks ok to vent. Ok to demand to have the cake and eat it too... but just sharing my observation that the demand for loyalty only seems to go one way :)
Stockholm syndrome.
Noted football powerhouse and diploma mill Indiana making the CFP in year 1 of a new HC’s contract blows this out of the water, unfortunately.
Cleancut: Good points.
He hasn’t had a winning season since 2019. Those Oregon overtures were 5 years ago. We have been loyal to Wilcox, not many coaches who have never produced a winning conference record get 8 seasons. Should we have kept Holmoe for 8 seasons because he was a good guy and was loyal to Cal?
To be fair... I don't know if WE have been loyal to Wilcox. Think we ask him to be fired every year. It's Knowlen who has been loyal to Wilcox...
If this cal community was in charge, we would have moved on a long time ago. (and probably fired a few more coaches by now)... :)
Is he out for the bowl game?
yes, will not play in the Bowl. (might have flu again)
Nil is to college football commitment as tinder is to long lasting relationships
This is the ugly world of college sports, these days. Dont tell me Mendoza was hurt last week. Wilcox knew Mendoza was transferrng and didn’t play him. I’m sure Mendoza already has a big payday set up with another team. It’s all about money, . Take the case of the number 1 HS basketball recruit going to BYU. He is getting funded by the Utah Jazz. College sports is a joke right now, it’s really sad. I was a huge Mendoza fan, just like I was a Sturdivant fan a few years ago, it sad Cal can’t any quality players under Wilcox. It’s like CAl is a AAA p team for other programs. Now loosing a QB and getting a new shaky OC, how long can you go with Wilcox? The Knowlton era can’t end soon enough.
For every Mendoza or Sturdivant the portal provides two or three replacements. We need OL, DL and coaching.
ThePlay: The dubious illness hadn't occurred to me until you just mentioned it. I just wonder who the big team and payday are going to be.
You ever seen the movie Breaking Away?
Let's wait and see. Cam Ward went from Incarnate Word to WSU and lit it up. When the PAC12 blew up he went to Miami and is a Heisman candidate. There are some really good unknown QB's out there, some at lesser programs. We need to find one or two of them.
I really thought "Go Bears Forever" meant "Go Bears Forever!" Sadly, I was wrong.
I think he sneezed and covered his mouth as he was mouthing "forever".