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Fernando Mendoza comes from a proud Cuban family.
Fernando Mendoza comes from a proud Cuban American family, and there was a time when the Indiana quarterback was wearing a Miami jersey instead of his now signature Hoosiers red. Fernando is from Miami, and the national championship is a bit of a homecoming for the Indiana quarterback.
Fernando’s parents Elsa and Fernando Mendoza Sr. have witnessed his rapid rise to become a college football star and potentially the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Another part of the Mendoza family are Fernando’s brothers, Alberto and Max. Like Fernando, Alberto is an Indiana quarterback but serves in a reserve role for the Hoosiers.
Fernando comes from a football family, including his dad Fernando Sr., who was teammates with Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. Fernando Sr. and Mario played together on the offensive line at Columbus High School in Miami, per USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer.
Here’s what you need to know about the Mendoza family.
Fernando Mendoza Made History as the 3rd Heisman Trophy Winner of Hispanic or Latino Heritage
Both sets of Fernando’s grandparents were born and raised in Cuba before eventually moving to the United States. Fernando made history as just the third Heisman Trophy winner to be of Latino or Hispanic descent, per The Athletic’s Christopher Kamrani.
Fernando gave a nod to his Cuban heritage by speaking in Spanish to his grandparents during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech. The Mendoza family remains connected to their Cuban roots, taking trips to Cuba to see where their grandparents grew up.
“We saw where my grandfather lived and we went to my grandmother’s house,” Fernando’s brother Alberto told ESPN’s Ryan McGee in a January 19, 2026, feature story titled, “CFP National Championship: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza’s Miami roots run deep.” “We saw where they went to school. The church that he went to. It truly made you very sad, because it’s so run down, but you can see how truly beautiful it was and how great Cuba was.
“He told us about the Bay of Pigs. How he had to leave when he was 9. How she had to leave when she was 11. But, like Fernando said to you, when you see it for yourself, you don’t look at yourself the same way. You don’t look at anything the same after your eyes have seen it.”
Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams
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