Bears Add Miami QB Mendoza to '22 Class

The Bears added 6-4/215 Columbus (Miami, FL) High School QB Fernando Mendoza‍ to their 2022 class after his official visit to Cal last weekend.

An excellent student, Mendoza holds an impressive 4.9 gpa. Rated 3 stars by 247 and a prior Yale commit, Mendoza got on the Bears’ radar in December when offensive coordinator/QB coach Bill Musgrave reached out to the Cuban native. After studying film with the Cal staff, Musgrave eventually made a trip out to Miami to evaluate Mendoza in person and watch him throw and was impressed enough to offer.

“When we talked on the phone, it was clear that we were very like-minded individuals, with similar IQ and football philosophy,” said Mendoza of his first contacts with Musgrave. 

“He really liked me when he came out and saw me throw, then we did a home visit soon after and he offered me a scholarship. I was going to commit right away but he said I should take trips out to Yale and to Cal so I could make the best decision for myself, which I thought was amazing because it showed they cared about me a lot.

“After taking both visits, I just felt how welcoming the whole Cal staff was and throughout all the phone calls and visit process, I had a lot of question and Coach Wilcox and Coach Musgrave did a great job communicating with me and helping me feel comfortable on my official visit. Although it’s really far from home, they made me feel I had a second home in Berkeley. I was just ecstatic when I came home and talked to my mom and we decided that I'd commit. Honestly, I’m just so glad that Cal gave me this opportunity.

“Alabama and a couple other programs came on late and offered me preferred walk-ons but I told them I was committed to Cal and that Cal was the best place for me. Everyone on the coaching staff - the GA’s, Marshall Cherrington, Coach Mike Saffell -everyone made me feel at home. And not only that but I saw the culture within the program. I've been to a lot of camps and programs and you don’t really see that intensity. Talking to Coach Wilcox and the players, you just see how competitive they were and the culture that Coach Wilcox has instilled there at Cal. They were really just a few plays away from a bowl game this year.

“The quarterbacks and receivers are throwing constantly there, which got me really pumped up. I feel like I’m going to strive to get a great degree but more importantly, win some Rose Bowls and compete for National Championships there, too, and evolve into an NFL QB working with the likes of Coach Musgrave and Coach Geep (Chryst) after coaching in the NFL for so long. And I know Coach Wilcox will always give our offense a chance to win games because he's such a defensive genius.

There wasn't one person on the coaching staff I didn't feel good about. Everyone’s so welcoming and I just knew it was the right choice. I prayed on it and knew after the first night, this is where I want to be. It was a competitive environment who values academics and competes at the highest level.

“I really can’t wait till spring to look at the practice film, get started in June and most importantly, sign tomorrow. I feel like I'm family already.”

As a senior, Mendoza played behind a young offensive line and was often under heavy pressure when Columbus opted to throw. He completed 63% of his passes (107-169) for 1109 yards and 11 TDs with 4 interceptions, showng a live arm and an ability to pick up yards with his legs, adding 140 net yards and a touchdown on the ground, though he's more of a classic pro-style QB.

“We were pretty young with our receivers this year,” said Columbus coach Dave Dunn. “We threw more his junior year and his sophomore year. We were just a young team. We were very effective thowing the ball more efficiently this season. We just didn't pass as often as in the past.

“He’s got a big arm and can make all the throws. He's a very cerebral young man. Loves football. He's a big kid so he doesn't have a problem throwing over and around people, which is a big plus, especially at the next level. He can tuck it and run it when he needs to, which he did a really good job of this year. We had five new starters on the offensive line after sending guys to Florida State, Miami, two to FIU and a D3 guy. So all those guys were gone and this year, he had to run it more and there was more pressure on him. But he's a tough kid and is very resilient. He never complains about anything. He just wants to win football games. He's one of those guys who will do whatever it takes to win.”

In the meantime, after his signing ceremony tomorrow, Mendoza will be fully-focused on his future home at Cal and doing what he can to help bring the program to a new level.

“I met the other quareterbacks -Jack Plummer, Zach (Johnson), Kai (Millner) and Ryan and they're all great guys," said Mendoza. “We all have one common goal: Win the Pac-12, and I can promise the fans, we’re going to win a Pac-12 championship. I can just see it so vividly through the culture, the coaching staff, the players and how they hold each other accountable. Everyone has such great synergy there. I just can't wait to get out there and be a part of the Golden Bear family.”

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