Less than a month before the 2026 NFL Draft, Fernando Mendoza is making headlines. The Heisman winner is expected to go as the No 1 overall pick to the Raiders on April 23. The 22-year-old will visit Las Vegas on Tuesday and might even do a bit of training. However, there is some bad news for the Indiana Hoosiers star.
It appears like Mendoza’s GPA scores were leaked on social media. It was revealed that he capped off his college career with an eye-catching 4.86 GPA.
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Fernando Mendoza’s elite GPA
The potential future Raiders QB graduated high school with a reported 4.86 GPA, taking on a demanding workload that included 12 Advanced Placement courses. In his senior year alone, he handled six AP classes, pushing his weighted GPA beyond 5.4, as per reports.
The 22-year-old was initially committed to Yale to study economics, but later chose UC Berkeley, where he earned a degree from the Haas School of Business. After transferring to Indiana University, he pursued an MBA at the Kelley School of Business – all while leading the football program at the highest level.
Only LinkedIn and YouTube
Reports also suggest a highly disciplined lifestyle, with Mendoza keeping only LinkedIn and YouTube on his phone.
The quarterback’s standout 2025 season included a 72% completion rate, 3,232 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. Across his college career, Mendoza reportedly posted:
68.6% completion percentage
8,247 passing yards
71 passing touchdowns
22 interceptions
473 rushing yards
11 rushing touchdowns
Kirk Cousins vs Fernando Mendoza
Meanwhile, earlier this week, veteran Kirk Cousins joined the Las Vegas Raiders, where he is expected to team up with Mendoza. The 37-year-old was released by the Atlanta Falcons after two disappointing seasons in which he was supplanted by young signal-caller Michael Penix Jr.
Speaking at the NFL’s annual league meeting this week, Kubiak said he would prefer Mendoza to initially learn from a veteran quarterback, rather than stepping immediately into an NFL starting role.
“In a perfect world he’s watching a mature adult go and run an offense and run the team,” said Kubiak.
“He might come in and have to play immediately, but you’d rather him learn before he gets in the game.”
