Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza suggests dating can derail football focus

Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s candid comments about his personal life have returned to the forefront. 

In 2024, the presumptive top pick in this year’s NFL Draft revealed he avoided dating during his college football career, citing a romantic relationship’s potential to create distractions.

“Especially with the girls, it can be very distracting,” Mendoza said at the time while playing for the UC Berkeley Golden Bears. “You might find your first love in college, and stuff like that, but … I’m going to give everything my all. So, if I have a girlfriend, I’m going to give her my all.” 

Mendoza’s clear stance resurfaced just days after he led the Hoosiers to the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff national championship.

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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

“And I believe that I will make it to the NFL,” Mendoza added in the clip shared in 2024. “However, at this point, I’ve gotta limit all distractions.”

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While enrolled at Berkeley, Mendoza said he lived within a “three-minute walk from the facility.”

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws before a game against Wisconsin Nov. 15, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (Darron Cummings/AP Photo)

From Mendoza’s point of view, having a girlfriend over the past few years could have prevented him from training to the extent he wanted to.

“That means I’m gonna go back from 6-9 [p.m.] just to hang out with her, maybe get dinner or something, rather than maybe picking up dinner on the way back from class and watching extra film for the game week.”

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza gestures after the CFP national championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Mendoza transferred from California to Indiana ahead of the 2025 season, threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns and was the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner.

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Mendoza and the Hoosiers capped an undefeated season with a 27-21 win over Miami in the national title game Monday.

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