Cal Sports Report

Cal QB Fernando Mendoza Enters the Transfer Portal

is money a factor in the loss of Cal's prized quarterback? This is a major blow to the Bears program

Jake Curtis

Fernando Mendoza
Fernando Mendoza / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the centerpiece of Cal's offense this season, is entering the transfer portall. He made the announcement on social media on Wednesday.

His long explanation on his twitter account covered a lot of issues, but ultimately it led to the announcement that he will be leaving. It is conceivable, though unlikley, that Mendoza would withdraw his name from the portal and remain at Cal. That seldom happens.

This is a major blow to the Cal football prgram. Cal did not have much of a running game this season, and the passing attack provided by Mendoza, a redshirt sophomore, was the Bears' major avenue for scoring. He directed a 98-yard drive in the closing moments in the Big Game that led to Cal's victory over Stanford. Mendoza had flu-like symptoms that prevented him from playing in the final regular-season game against SMU, and the significance of his absence was obvious in the 38-6 loss to the Mustangs.

For the year Mendoza completed 68.7% of his passes for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions for Cal, which finished the regular season with a 6-6 record and is scheduled to face UNLV in the LA Bowl on December 18. His 3,004 yards ranks as the ninth-best single-season mark in school history, and he was expected to climb to sixth with his performance in the bowl game. Mendoza has two more years of college eligibility remaining.

Presumably Chandler Rogers will be Cal's quarterback in that bowl game if he is available. The other option is CJ Harris, a redshirt sophomore, who played briefly against SMU. Harris becomes the Bears' No. 1 quarterback heading into next season, although Cal undoubtedly will try to get a quarterback through the transfer portal who has the cabability of being a starter in the ACC.

This news comes a week after Cal lost a recruiting battle with Oregon for highly touted high school quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele

Mendoza professed a love for Cal and Cal football, and his parents said after last season that Mendoza would not transfer. But the landscape of college football has changed dramatically in recent years. The amount of money players can make on name, image and likeness can be staggering at some colleges. Plus, starting next season, college athletes will be allowed to take money directly from the college as payment for their services. Presumably, athletes in revenue sports, partciuarly players as valuable as proven quarterbacks, stand to make a lot of money. It is a question whether Cal will be able to provide the kind of financial support to a player that other elite football colleges can.

Cal is also changing its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Former Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin was named Cal's new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and it's unknown whether that decision or Mendoza's comfort in the Bears' offense had anything to do with his decision. Cal allowed its quarterback to be sacked 45 times in 2024, and only three FBS teams in the country allowed more.

Some believe Mendoza has NFL potential, and he may want to exploit that possibility.

ESPN ranks Mendoza as the third-best player available in the transfer portal, with this comment:

3. Fernando Mendoza
Transferring from: Cal
Seasons remaining: 2

HT: 6-5 | WT: 225 | Class: Redshirt sophomore

Background: Mendoza was an incredible find for a Cal, an under-the-radar, three-star recruit out of Miami who was committed to Yale until the Bears extended a late offer. He developed into one of the best young QBs in the country after taking over as Cal's starter for their final eight games last season. This year, he was the ACC's third-leading passer with 3,004 passing yards and raised his completion percentage to 69% (second-best in the ACC) while scoring 18 total touchdowns with just six interception over 11 games. He led all FBS quarterbacks with 41 sacks this season but overcame inconsistent protection to have a really productive year with strong performances against Miami and Auburn and a 98-yard game-winning drive to rally and beat rival Stanford. Mendoza is viewed as one of the most promising QBs in the country by several personnel departments and will have no shortage of options when he hits the market.

Scout's take: Mendoza is a great athlete and is tough as nails. He was sacked a lot and kept getting back up. Mendoza can make all of the throws and is a sneaky, crafty athlete. -- Luginbill

Coming out of high school in Miami, Florzida, Mendoza was set to attend Yale before he received his one and only FBS offer from Cal. Mendoza took it and made the most of it, becoming the Bears starting quarterback in 2023 as a redshirt freshman.

Mendoza will be remembered for this emotional interview after the win over Stanford:

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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