Fernando Mendoza Wins the Heisman - But Cal Fans Are Left Wondering What Could've Been
When Fernando Mendoza hoisted the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, it marked a historic first: no UC Berkeley graduate had ever claimed college football’s most prestigious individual honor. But for Cal fans, the celebration comes with a twist - and more than a little heartache.
Yes, Mendoza earned his degree from Cal’s Haas School of Business. But he won the Heisman as the starting quarterback for Indiana University. And when the commercials roll and the legacy moments are replayed, he’ll be in cream and crimson, not blue and gold.
**The defining moment of Mendoza’s Heisman campaign? ** A last-second fade to Omar Cooper Jr. that stunned Penn State and sent Indiana into the national spotlight.
That play will live in Bloomington lore. Meanwhile, Mendoza’s earlier “98 yards with my boys” drive at Cal - capped by his now-famous “Go Bears forever” postgame interview - has faded into the background.
The Hoosiers are champions now. The Bears are spectators.
And for Cal fans, that stings.
From Afterthought to Heisman
Mendoza’s journey is the kind of story that makes college football so compelling. Coming out of high school, he had zero Power Five offers.
He was headed to Yale before Cal came calling - a late scholarship offer from then-offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave gave Mendoza a shot at FBS football. It was a move born out of necessity as much as strategy.
Cal’s top QB target, Inglewood standout Justyn Martin, had flipped to UCLA, leaving the Bears scrambling.
Fast forward to now, and Martin is buried on Maryland’s depth chart behind a breakout freshman. Meanwhile, Mendoza just etched his name alongside the legends of the game.
Cal gave Mendoza his first real shot, and he made the most of it. But it wasn’t a fairy tale from the start.
When he got the nod midway through the 2023 season, the biggest thing he had going for him was that he wasn’t Ben Finley or Sam Jackson V. Still, Mendoza grew into the role - and by 2024, he was the heart and soul of Cal’s offense.
Remember that Auburn game? Mendoza lit up a defense stacked with four- and five-star talent.
He did it behind a banged-up offensive line and with almost no run support. That wasn’t a one-off, either.
Cal finished the season with one of the worst rushing attacks in the country and gave up the third-most sacks. Mendoza didn’t just carry the offense - he was the offense.
The Transfer That Still Hurts
So when Mendoza hit the transfer portal, it wasn’t exactly shocking. He had shown flashes of NFL potential, and it made sense to look for a program that could protect him and showcase his full skill set. Indiana offered just that - a revamped offensive line, a physical run game, and a head coach in Curt Cignetti who knew how to maximize his quarterback.
And Mendoza flourished. At Cal, he had to move mountains just to keep the team competitive. At Indiana, he conducted a finely tuned machine.
That’s what makes it so painful for Cal fans. They were there from the beginning.
They saw the rough starts, the growing pains, the flashes of brilliance. They believed before anyone else did.
And just when it seemed like Mendoza was ready to take the next step, he took it somewhere else.
It’s hard not to feel like the hometown sweetheart left behind when the rising star heads for the big stage.
A New Era in Berkeley
But here’s the thing about heartbreak in college football - there’s always the next big thing.
Enter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
The freshman quarterback came to Cal with all the hype Mendoza never had. A four-star recruit who chose the Bears over Georgia and Oregon, Sagapolutele was a major win on the recruiting trail. And after his first year as a starter, it’s clear the hype was justified.
He’s already making throws Mendoza wasn’t even attempting in his early days - like that 54-yard dime to Jaiven Plummer in triple coverage against Minnesota, or the laser down the seam to Cole Boscia that set up a game-winner against SMU. Sagapolutele led Cal to its best season since 2019, and he’s just getting started.
If he continues to develop at this pace, Cal might not just survive the Mendoza breakup - they might thrive because of it.
The What-Ifs That Linger
Still, it’s hard not to wonder what could’ve been.
That 2024 Cal team was flawed, no doubt. But they were also just nine points away - spread across four games - from a 10-win season.
A few more field goals against NC State, Pitt, and Florida State. A targeting call that never came when Miami’s Wesley Bissainthe leveled Mendoza on national television.
A few better play calls in key moments. The margin was razor thin.
In another timeline, maybe Cal is the team making a run. Maybe Mendoza stays.
Maybe Sagapolutele gets a year to develop behind a Heisman contender. But that’s not the world we live in.
Mendoza left. He won the Heisman. And he did it wearing Indiana’s colors.
A Bittersweet Shoutout
The Heisman won’t live in Berkeley. The record books won’t credit Cal. And any attempt by fans to claim a piece of Mendoza’s legacy will likely fall on deaf ears outside the Bay Area.
But Mendoza didn’t forget where it all started.
“To my Cal family, thank you for being the first to believe in my future,” he said during his acceptance speech. “Thank you for the opportunity, educating me and giving me the foundation that enabled me to grow into the person I am today.”
It’s not the trophy. But it’s something.
Now, the spotlight shifts to Sagapolutele. Mendoza’s chapter at Cal is closed - part underdog triumph, part bittersweet departure.
The Bears have a new face of the program. And if things break right, maybe someday, he’ll be the one hoisting that trophy.
Until then, Cal fans will keep asking the question that haunts every near-miss in sports: What if?