Fernando Mendoza was one of the major reasons behind Indiana’s historic national championship victory last season. His former head coach, Curt Cignetti, has spoken in detail about what the new Las Vegas Raiders quarterback brings, especially since he’s now going to mix it up at the highest level of football.
Mendoza was the No. 1 overall pick at the 2026 NFL draft, and while Cignetti admits he can come across “a little geeky” in interviews, his mentality is top-notch and makes him stand out among the rest.
“Look, we’ve all seen the interviews, right? He can come across a little geeky, there’s no doubt about it,” Cignetti told Adam Breneman.
“He had talent at Cal(ifornia), but Fernando wanted to be a great player, and he was gonna do everything within his power in the preparation process to be as good as he could be, and I’ve never been around a guy that prepared that way. Both mentally and physically, assignment, opponent, footwork, you name it. Competitor? Tough like a lion and then when the game’s on the line, played his very, very best football.”
Fernando Mendoza’s Success at Indiana Came Under Curt Cignetti
To all the college football fans watching, it was clear that Fernando Mendoza and Curt Cignetti enjoyed a wonderful relationship and formed a solid partnership that was formidable enough to go all the way in the College Football Playoff.
Under Cignetti, Mendoza played his best football, winning the Heisman Trophy and the CFP national championship game offensive MVP last season, paving the way for him to become the first overall pick in the NFL draft as he sealed a huge move to the Las Vegas Raiders.
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