{"id":623684,"date":"2026-04-22T14:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/623684\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T14:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:19:12","slug":"nfl-draft-from-nearly-quitting-to-no-1-the-stunning-rise-of-fernando-mendoza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/623684\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Draft: From nearly quitting to No. 1 \u2014 the stunning rise of Fernando Mendoza"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks into his first season playing tackle football, Fernando Mendoza<\/a> told his parents that he wanted to quit.<\/p>\n

The 10-year-old Cuban-American boy who occasionally stuttered when he spoke was struggling to make friends with his new teammates or to elbow his way into the competition to earn playing time at quarterback.<\/p>\n

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“In fourth grade, I was a new kid on the park football team,\u201d Mendoza recalled in December while delivering his acceptance speech after winning the Heisman Trophy.<\/a> \u201cDidn’t know a single teammate, and was fourth on the depth chart. By midseason, I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully for Mendoza, his mom and dad aren\u2019t the type of parents who would let one of their boys quit without finishing what he started. Fernando and Elsa Mendoza insisted that their eldest son return to the South Miami Grey Ghosts and prove what he could do, a decision that helped him learn to overcome the obstacles he would face throughout his teenage years and paved the way for one of football\u2019s most remarkable underdog stories.<\/p>\n

The same kid who began his tackle football career buried on his team\u2019s quarterback depth chart blossomed into college football\u2019s best player. The same kid whose first coaches envisioned him as a run-stuffing defensive end went on to quarterback long-struggling Indiana to its first national title.<\/a> The same kid who once begged his parents to let him walk away from football is now the overwhelming favorite to be the first player taken in this week\u2019s NFL Draft.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe made up his mind that he was not going to quit and he became a fierce competitor and a leader,\u201d Grey Ghosts head coach Johnny Zeigler told Yahoo Sports. \u201cYou could see it in him before he left this park. That kid was going to be someone special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fernando<\/p>\n

Fernando Mendoza speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Mendoza is the presumptive No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(Lauren Leigh Bacho via Getty Images)\u2018I can\u2019t do this\u2019<\/p>\n

Fernando Mendoza may have grown up less than a mile from the campus of the University of Miami, but there was one thing that stuck from being born in Boston while his father was completing his medical residency there. He idolized Tom Brady<\/a>, from his rise from sixth-round pick to seven-time Super Bowl champion, to the way he conducted himself off the field.<\/p>\n

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When Mendoza grew old enough to show interest in playing sports, there was little doubt what path he wanted to take. He didn\u2019t want to follow in the footsteps of his mom, a former University of Miami tennis player, or his dad, a former high school offensive lineman and college rowing champion. He wanted to sling the football like Brady.<\/p>\n

Mendoza often credits his mom with teaching him and his younger brother Alberto how to throw, but the truth is that Elsa was smart enough to know her limitations. As her boys began to grow more serious about football, she put them in camps and flag football leagues and searched for coaches who could teach them proper throwing mechanics and footwork.<\/p>\n

On a summer day in South Miami<\/a> 13 years ago, Mendoza showed up to his first practice with the Grey Ghosts eager for a new challenge. He hoped to earn the chance to quarterback the Grey Ghosts\u2019 10-and-under team, but the new environment proved to be a bigger culture shock than he expected.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just the transition from flag to tackle football that rattled the eldest Mendoza brother. Or the speed of the other players\u2019 on the Grey Ghosts\u2019 talent-laden roster. Mendoza also was the gawky new kid who didn\u2019t know any of his teammates or coaches.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe was very timid, very shy,\u201d Grey Ghosts head coach Johnny Zeigler said. \u201cOur program is a tough program, an inner-city program, so I think that might have played a part in it, him being a Cuban American and he\u2019s coming over in a predominantly Black park.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Mendoza summoned the courage to raise his hand in front of the whole team and announce that he wanted to play quarterback, the coaches\u2019 tepid response added to his misery. Zeigler and his staff watched the strong-armed but slow-footed newcomer throw a few balls \u2026 and then named him QB4.<\/p>\n

He was begging his dad to take him home. He told him, \u2018I can\u2019t do this. I don\u2019t want this.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnny Zeigler, Fernando Mendoza’s youth football coach<\/p>\n

Part of the coaching staff\u2019s thought process was that the Grey Ghosts were loaded with proven playmakers at the quarterback position. Their starter was a kid named Jalen Brown, a blur of an athlete with sprinter\u2019s speed and a knack for making defenders miss in space. Behind him were other dual-threat quarterbacks who had been with the Grey Ghosts longer and had already gained the coaching staff\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n

The challenge of preparing a newcomer to play quarterback also factored into the decision that Zeigler and his assistants made. They preferred to try to mold Mendoza into a defensive end or tight end, both easier positions to learn in a few short weeks.<\/p>\n

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Between the unwanted position switch, the tough love from his coaches and the lack of familiar faces on the team, Mendoza felt like he didn\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was begging his dad to take him home,\u201d Zeigler said. \u201cHe told him, \u2018I can\u2019t do this. I don\u2019t want this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

As Grey Ghosts offensive coordinator Roderick Ryals put it, \u201cWe were worried he might not be coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conversations between Mendoza and his parents helped strengthen his resolve. So did some encouragement from family friend and trainer Kenneth Abraham.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t stop working to be a quarterback,\u201d Abraham told Mendoza, adding that learning other positions would only help make him a better quarterback one day. \u201cNobody is giving you a chance, so you\u2019ve got to make your own chance. You\u2019ve got to work even harder and change the way people see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The way Abraham remembers it, those conversations lit a fire under Mendoza. When their training sessions ended, the apple-cheeked fourth grader would beg to throw one more set of balls or do one more footwork drill.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, the fire he had in his eyes,\u201d Abraham said. \u201cEven as a little kid, he wanted to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fernando<\/p>\n

Fernando Mendoza (15) started out as the fourth-string QB for the South Miami Grey Ghosts, before climbing his way up the depth chart. (Courtesy of Johnny Zeigler)<\/p>\n

Mendoza gets his chance<\/p>\n

Before long, Mendoza grew more comfortable with his Grey Ghosts teammates and became more accustomed to playing tackle football. He climbed the depth chart at quarterback while also turning himself into a wrecking ball at defensive end.<\/p>\n

The chance Mendoza had been waiting for finally arrived midway through that season when the Grey Ghosts\u2019 coaching staff became frustrated with Brown\u2019s play at quarterback. Brown was having trouble remembering the play calls from the sideline to the huddle, Zeigler said, leading to too many early timeouts or drive-killing delay-of-game penalties.<\/p>\n

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At halftime of one particularly dismal performance, Zeigler approached Ryals in the locker room and said, \u201cWe gotta make a change.\u201d Zeigler recalled telling his players they needed a leader to step in at quarterback, someone who could help stabilize the offense and snap the Grey Ghosts out of their funk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it, coach,\u201d Zeigler remembers Mendoza saying.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the rest of that season, Mendoza gradually earned more playing time and gained the trust of his coaches. At first, the bar was really low \u2014 \u201cHe could remember the plays from the sideline back to the huddle,\u201d Zeigler said with a laugh. Then gradually the Grey Ghosts began seeing more and more glimpses of the version of Mendoza who captured the hearts of college football fans last season.<\/p>\n

In one game, Mendoza held the ball too long and took a bone-rattling hit but popped right back up.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHey, this kid\u2019s tough, man,\u201d Ryals said to Zeigler on the sideline.<\/p>\n

In another game, Mendoza delivered a dart to a receiver running a slant pattern over the middle.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see that? Ryals gushed to Zeigler. \u201cHe hit the kid coming out of his break in stride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then came the naked quarterback bootleg that Ryals begged Zeigler not to call.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh lord, Johnny, he\u2019s not the fastest kid,\u201d Ryals remembers saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe play is wide open,\u201d responded Zeigler. \u201cGive him a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Mendoza snapped the ball, he faked a handoff to get the opposing defense flowing toward his running back. That afforded him just enough space to roll out to the opposite side of the field and scamper around the edge for a 20-plus-yard touchdown run.<\/p>\n

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The Grey Ghosts went 11-1 in Mendoza\u2019s first year in the program, their only loss coming in the regional championship game. He returned the next year as the team\u2019s unquestioned starter at quarterback, showcasing the same arm strength, command of the playbook, leadership and will to win that he is known for today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned to embrace my team,\u201d Mendoza said during his Heisman speech, \u201cand that is when I fell in love with football.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pathway to Tom Brady<\/p>\n

The outcome of the Grey Ghosts\u2019 quarterback competition ultimately worked out well for both combatants. Brown converted to wide receiver and blossomed into a feared deep threat, landing a scholarship offer from the University of Miami before he started high school and going on to play for LSU, Florida State and Arkansas.<\/p>\n

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Offers from top-tier colleges famously proved more elusive for Mendoza. The presumptive No. 1 overall pick in this week\u2019s NFL draft largely went under-recruited during high school.<\/p>\n

After running the run-oriented Wing-T offense at Belen Jesuit as a ninth grader, Mendoza made the mature decision to leave a school he loved and transfer to a Christopher Columbus program that favored a pro-style attack. Mendoza started out as the fourth-string quarterback at Columbus but worked his way up the depth chart, becoming the starter as a junior and leading his team to a 9-0 record during a COVID-shortened season.<\/p>\n

The travel restrictions on coaches during the pandemic impacted Mendoza\u2019s recruitment. So did the fact that the University of Miami, Florida International and Florida Atlantic all passed on him. Ryals remembers sending Mendoza\u2019s high school stats and highlight videos to a close friend on the University of Miami staff and urging him to take a look. The Miami assistant coach basically told Ryals that the Hurricanes weren\u2019t interested. They already had secured a commitment from another quarterback in Mendoza\u2019s class who they liked better.<\/p>\n

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Mendoza likely would have started his college career at Yale had quarterback Justin Martin not flipped from Cal to UCLA on signing day in 2021. That sent the Golden Bears scrambling to find a last-ditch replacement and led to offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave flying to Miami to work out Mendoza in person.<\/p>\n

The rest of Mendoza\u2019s story is the stuff of fairytales.<\/p>\n

At Cal, he went from two-star recruit to two-year starter.<\/p>\n

At Indiana, he secured pretty much every attainable accolade.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s likely to join the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>, whose part owner is Mendoza\u2019s longtime idol Brady.<\/p>\n

The adversity that Mendoza endured during his first year playing tackle football with the Grey Ghosts no doubt helped prepare him for the obstacles that lay ahead.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAll those coaches who passed on him, they\u2019re kicking themselves now,\u201d Zeigler said.<\/p>\n

Former Grey Ghosts assistant coach William Jacoby still has the team picture from one of Mendoza\u2019s seasons with the program. He says he pulls it out from time to time to show the boys that he coaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d he\u2019ll ask, pointing to the floppy-haired kid in the second row wearing a No. 15 jersey.<\/p>\n

When his players say they don\u2019t know, Jacoby tells them, \u201cThat\u2019s Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you work hard enough,\u201d Jacoby concludes, \u201cthat could be you one day,\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A few weeks into his first season playing tackle football, Fernando Mendoza told his parents that he wanted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":623685,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,594,103353,302150,302152,1250,5140,593,61251,85,51918,30663,88087,302151],"class_list":{"0":"post-623684","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-college-football","11":"tag-fernando-mendoza","12":"tag-grey-ghosts","13":"tag-johnny-zeigler","14":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","15":"tag-miami","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-quarterback","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-tackle-football","20":"tag-tom-brady","21":"tag-university-of-miami","22":"tag-zeigler"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}