Fernando Mendoza entered the NFL from which college program?

Fernando Mendoza entered the NFL from Indiana.

Mendoza transferred to Indiana after spending three seasons at California. In his lone season with the Hoosiers, he led the team to an undefeated national-championship season and became Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner.

The Las Vegas Raiders selected Mendoza first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. That makes Indiana the conventional answer to this question because it was his final college program and the school represented in the draft listing. A common mix-up is California, where Mendoza began his college career and played before transferring.

His 2025 season included 3,535 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes and only six interceptions. Mendoza’s path also made him an unusual top pick: he developed from a lightly recruited prospect at California into a national champion and Heisman winner at Indiana before becoming the NFL’s No. 1 selection.