Miami-area high school honors alum Fernando Mendoza ahead of national title game
By David Wasson
Published:
Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game between the No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers and the No. 10 seed Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida – and there will be seven representatives from Miami-area Columbus High School participating in the game.
Columbus singled out one of the Explorers over the weekend, hanging a banner in front of the school signifying it as the home of 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
Mendoza, who graduated from Columbus in 2022, is joined by his brother and backup Hoosiers quarterback Alberto Mendoza on the Indiana roster. Miami boasts four ex-Explorers – with defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald, offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez and backup quarterback Vinny Gonzalez all dotting the Hurricanes roster.
In addition, both Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and assistant head coach Alex Mirabal attended Columbus.
Mendoza vaulted from obscurity to national prominence in 2025. The Cal transfer has led Indiana to a 15-0 record so far in 2025-26, throwing for 3,349 yards and 41 touchdowns (11 more than he threw in 2022 and 2023 at Cal) against just six interceptions (compared to 16 in 2022 and 2023 combined. Mendoza also became the first Hoosier in school history to win the Heisman Trophy.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
