Bears Regroup After Departure of Starting QB Fernando Mendoza

The Cal football fandom was rocked today with the announcement that redshirt soph QB Fernando Mendoza would be leaving the program via the portal and foregoing the Bears’ LA Bowl game appearance next week vs. UNLV.

Mendoza’s departure is especially jarring to Cal fans coming just weeks after his famous “98 yards with my boys” late-minutes drive that won the game in the Bears’ come-from-behind 24-21 Big Game victory over Stanford where he completed 25-of-36 passes for 299 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions.

Mendoza started his unlikely path to stardom with a late offer from Cal after being a commit to Yale in 2021, sighing with the Bears as a fairly unheralded 2 star recruit. After spending the 2022 season as a redshirt season running the scout team, Mendoza got his shot as a reshirt frosh, taking over for injured and struggling QBs Sam Jackson and Ben Finley, putting together a solid first season for the Bears.

Mendoza’s departure seems to be less related to money as the Bears reportedly extended a very competitive offer but rather about a change of scenery and a fresh start. The third-year QB is rumored to be headed to 11-1 Indiana, who is preparing for their first appearance in the college playoffs.

Mendoza announced his departure today via X, saying, “First and foremost, I’d like to thank The University of California and the Golden Bear community for a magnificent and memorable three years. From strolling the glade to sprinting across the grass of Memorial Stadium, I have lived a dream and I hope everyone can understand how grateful I am to have had this opportunity.

“After spending much time in thought, deliberation and prayer with my family, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal. Every person is faced with decisions that will inevitably shape their lives and rarely do they lack gravity. But for the sake of my football future, this is the decision I have reached.

“To my teammates, you guys are my brothers and always will be. I know that you all will be great and lead in whatever you choose to do, football or otherwise. The level of care, dedication and brotherhood you all have for one another is unmatched and I’m honored to have taken the field with you.

“To Coach Wilcox and coaching staff, you all have helped me mature and develop as a leader. Above all else, you’ve positively shaped me as a person. Your impact on my life has ranged far beyond the painted lines. Your wisdom, guidance and compassion are things that cannot be measured and I’m eternally grateful for that.

“To the Cal community, I sincerely hope that I was able to make a positive impact during my time in Berkeley as a human being and not just simply as a football player. Whether walking into class on a Monday or walking into Cal Memorial Stadium on a Saturday, I have beamed with pride. From the highest peaks to the lowest valleys, you have all stood by us. The enthusiasm and care you all have shown have left a mark on me and for that, I am extremely thankful.

“And while I’ll be leaving to explore my next chapter, I wish nothing but the best for the University of California, the UC Berkeley community, the Cal Football program and Coach Wilcox. I am forever indebted to you all for taking a chance on and blessing a young man with an opportunity to live out his dream.”

Fiat Lux,

Fernando Mendoza

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox was asked about his conversations with Mendoza before his announced departure and if he was surprised the redshirt soph made his move this week.

"I'll keep all the discussions private," Wilcox said. "I think that's best.

“Surprised? Disappointed for sure. I don't think that anything surprises me anymore in college football. We did our best. He came in here out of Miami and made his way into the starting lineup a year ago and started 18 games and gave us everything he had in those 18.

“We did our best to support and promote Fernando. We did everything we could do to keep him. And as I mentioned, these guys have tough, tough decisions to make and I empathize with players in this era, because there's a lot going on. It's very, very complicated. We don't have enough time to talk through it, and I don't necessarily think it'd be productive to talk through it, but nothing really surprises me anymore.

"Nothing surprises me anymore. I think college football - it's changed dramatically. And I think if you're in it - as much as you probably view it from your seat and see how different it is, if you're inside of it, it's just 180 (degrees) from three and four years ago and how things work now. And there's a lot more people involved, whether it's families and agencies and trainers, and there's a lot of voices and again, again.

“I empathize with these players, this complicated environment for them, and so we want to provide some stability, an environment where we don't want to get overly emotional. And it's an emotional time, and I think people make decisions, and emotions get high, and I understand that, but we've got to keep the main thing the main thing - training these guys and supporting these guys and helping them the best we possibly can.

“And then there's going to be decisions that are made that are outside of our control. And then what we've got to do is worry about, 'Okay, what are we doing next?' Plotting a path forward. So I think that's a challenge with all this. But I can't tell you that I thought December would go a certain way, because the things you might anticipate, it might get flipped on his head immediately with players or coaches or whatever."

After sitting out the SMU game where the Bears went down to a lopsided 38-6 defeat in Dallas, Mendoza ended his season completing 265-of-386 passes (68.7%) for 3004 yards and throwing 16 TDs with 6 interceptions on the season. He also rushed for a net 105 yards and two more TDs. He finished the regular season rated 34^th in quarterback rating at 144.59, which puts him 19^th among QBs presumed to return next season collegiately. 

Mendoza finished his Cal career throwing for 4,712 yards and 30 TDs with 16 interceptions.

In Mendoza’s absence, backups Chandler Rogers, CJ Harris and frosh EJ Caminong will compete for the start.

Rogers was injured late in the Bears’ loss at SMU and has been somewhat limited in practice, with Harris and Caminong taking the majority of the reps but Rogers has been working his way back onto the field and could potentially get the start if he continues to improve.

“Right now, CJ and EJ are taking the majority of the reps. Chandler's day-to-day, so we'll see how he's doing tomorrow. He did a little more today and threw the ball. So it would be great to get him back in the mix as well. But CJ and EJ are taking the majority of the reps, and they're doing a really good job."

Wilcox noted that the playcalling will be a collaborative effort between several coaches, presumably not including former OC Mike Bloesch or former wide receivers coach Burl Toler, who is expected to take over as wide receivers coach at UCLA. New OC Bryan Harsin will not be involved in the game planning per Wilcox and will be more involved in player personnel and recruiting responsibilities in the next week after starting his job today in Berkeley.