Fernando Mendoza talks 1st NFL season: 'I'm all in'
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is gearing up for his first NFL season after taking the nation by storm, winning the national title with the Indiana Hoosiers in January and being drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in April.
Days before his very first NFL game with the Las Vegas Raiders, Mendoza sat for an interview with "Good Morning America," which aired on Wednesday morning.
"It's going, it's going," Mendoza said, describing his NFL experience thus far.
Despite his many accolades, Mendoza is not currently slated to start his first game on Sunday, when the Raiders take on the Miami Dolphins. That will make him the first No. 1 pick quarterback not to start the first week of the season since 2018, according to ESPN.
The 22-year-old doesn't seem to mind.
"It feels great," Mendoza said. "And that might be not what you're expecting to hear. However, I am all for whatever the team wants and whatever is best for the team."
He continued, "The coaches decided that that is best for the teams, so I'm all in. I'm excited to see my guys go out there and play and try to be the best teammate possible."
The quarterback said during the season, he tries to limit distractions, which means deleting social media, among other things.
"I'm able to eliminate that," he said, adding he tries to listen to "sources that are most important to me, which is anybody that's part of the organization, family and friends."
Mendoza also touched on his relationship with his mom, who has multiple sclerosis, or MS.
"She's at home in Miami, you know, battling every single day, keeping a smile on her face," he said.
Mendoza also discussed the Mendoza Family Fund, a partnership between his family and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which he said has "donated a lot of money to try and to raise MS awareness and hopefully one day find a cure."
The quarterback says despite his busy schedule, he calls his mom two or three times a day.
Though he won't be starting Week 1, the first overall draft pick comes into the league this season with plenty of high praise and expectations.
In his senior year with Indiana, Mendoza threw for over 3,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and scored another seven touchdowns on his feet. He won the Heisman Trophy, and led Indiana to a 27-21 championship victory against the Miami Hurricanes.
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