Cal Football: 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 portal and prior appearance in the Bears’ LA Bowl game next week vs. UNLV.

Mendoza’s departure is especially jarring for Cal fans, coming just weeks after his famous “98 yards with my boys” late-minute game-winning drive 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 committing to Yale in 2021, sighing with the Bears as a fairly unknown 2-star recruit. After spending the 2022 season as a redshirt 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 appears to be less related to money, as the Bears reportedly extended a very competitive offer, but more about a change of scenery and a fresh start. The third-year QB is rumored to be headed to 11-1 Indiana, who are preparing for their first appearance in the college playoffs.

Announcing his departure today via X, Mendoza said, “First and foremost, I want to thank the University of California and the Golden Bear community for a magnificent and memorable three years. From strolling in the clearing to sprinting across the grass at Memorial Stadium, I have lived a dream and I hope everyone can understand how grateful I am to have been given this opportunity.

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

“To my teammates, you are my brothers and always will be. I know you will all be great and lead in whatever you choose to do, football or otherwise. That level of care, dedication and brotherhood, you all have for each other is second to none and I am honored to have taken the field with you.

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

“To the Cal community, I sincerely hope that I was able to make a positive impact during my time at Berkeley as a person and not just as a football player. Whether I’m walking into class on a Monday or walking into Cal Memorial Stadium on a Saturday, I have been beaming with pride. From the highest peaks to the lowest valleys, you have all stood by us. The enthusiasm and care you have all shown has left an impression on me, and I am very much so grateful for.

“And as I leave 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 eternally grateful to all of you for taking the opportunity and blessed 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 will keep all discussions private,” Wilcox said. “I think it’s best.

“Surprised? Disappointed for sure. I don’t think anything surprises me anymore in college football. We did our best. He came in here from Miami and came into the starting lineup a year ago and started 18 games and gave us everything he had in the 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 feel for 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 think it would necessarily be productive to talk through it, but nothing 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 watch it from your seat and see how different it is if you’re into 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 coaches, and there’s many 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 too emotional. And it’s an emotional time and I think people makes decisions and emotions run high, and I understand that, but we have to keep the most important thing – training these guys and supporting those guys and helping them as best we can.

“And then there will be decisions that are out of our control. And then what we have to do is worry about, ‘Okay, what do we do?’ Charting a path forward. So I think it’s a challenge with all of this. But I can’t tell you that I thought December would go a certain way, because the things you could foresee, it could be reversed. upside down right away with players or coaches or whatever.”

After sitting out the SMU game, where the Bears fell to a lopsided 38-6 loss in Dallas, Mendoza finished his season completing 265-of-386 passes (68.7%) for 3,004 yards and throwing for 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 34th^th in quarterback rating of 144.59, which puts him 19th^th among QBs projected 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 freshman 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 bulk of the reps, but Rogers has worked 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 is day-to-day so we’ll see how he does tomorrow. He did a little bit more today throwing the ball. So it would be nice to have him back as well in the mix. But CJ and EJ take the majority of the reps and they do a really good job.”

Wilcox noted that the playcalling will be a collaboration 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 game planning, according to Wilcox, and will be more involved in player personnel and recruiting responsibilities for the next week after starting his job in Berkeley today.