Mindfulness: Fernando Mendoza’s Greatest Superpower

By Matt St. Charles

Fernando Mendoza has many strengths as a quarterback. His ability to process a play quickly–to diagnose a defense before the ball is even snapped, and know where it should go just seconds later–has been on display all season. His pinpoint accuracy, pocket presence, running ability, and overall command of the offense have helped him to throw for 2641 yards and score 35 total touchdowns on the season, while garnering discussions to be the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

But his greatest superpower has nothing to do with his physical talent. It’s his incredible ability to exist in the present moment.

It’s that mindfulness that has Indiana sitting at 11-0 with Mendoza in control of the race for the Heisman Trophy. That power, which comes from his mother, Elsa, extends to every aspect of his life, from his play on the field to dealing with the building pressure of the end of the season, even to how he interacts with each and every person he comes across.

Mendoza was just a two-star recruit coming out of high school. With the quarterback from Miami getting little interest, there were long nights when he’d lie awake, stressing about the future. Elsa was always there to reassure him.

“Our mom was always my inspiration in life from a young age,” Mendoza said. “She’s the one that taught me to throw a football…Whether it was in high school, when I was crying on my bed, like, ‘Wow, I really want to play college football. I think I’m better than a lot of these kids, but I’m getting no offer.’ [She’d say], ‘Don’t worry, your first offer is going to come.’ Then, it was Yale, and that was one of the best days of my life. Then, after that, she’s like, ‘You’re going to get a Power Four offer.’ Miami, FIU, and FAU aren’t even offering me; how am I going to get a Power Four offer?”

Eventually, those offers came rolling in, and Mendoza landed at Cal, where he redshirted his freshman year. Just itching to get out on the field, he doubted whether or not he belonged.

“When I first got to Cal, she was like, ‘You’re going to do great. You’re going to help turn that program around.’” Mendoza said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t even know. I’m on the sideline here. I don’t even know if I can play. These guys are moving so fast.’

“Whatever she said has come to light. And I just can’t thank her enough for everything that she’s been a part of my journey, and that is really my why.”

After two years starting at Cal, Mendoza transferred to Indiana, uniting with his younger brother Alberto and teaming up with coach Curt Cignetti. With an undefeated record, including wins over Oregon, Iowa, and Penn State, and a number two ranking in the AP Poll, things have been great for the Hoosiers on the field. 

With that success, the pressure builds. Can Indiana finish out the season undefeated? Can it win the Big Ten? Can Mendoza finish off the Heisman campaign? One could easily wilt under the weight of it all.

But as his mom battles multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system, Mendoza is able to take a step back and gain some perspective. 

“She has always been a positive light and inspiration, before and after MS,” Mendoza said. “To see her maintain that positivity and light through what she’s been struggling with, it’s never given me an excuse to have a bad day. Whether it’s a bad lift, bad practice, or bad game, when I see her and what she’s going through and how she’s fighting, how hard her fight is, I’m never, ever in a situation where I think I can feel down on myself and not have a positive attitude and a smile on my face.

“With her, it’s always that unwavering belief.”

Always with that smile on his face, Mendoza treats every personal interaction like it’s his most important meeting of the day. When you hear him speak, you want to listen. And he’s always engaged when others are speaking to him–a testament to making every moment count. 

“Eye contact is something that my mom [and a lot of coaches] have instilled in me from a young age,” Mendoza said. “From youth football to high school to college, people have always told me you listen with your eyes, not your ears…Looking someone in the eye not only shows importance, but it shows that you care about their time and care about being there.”

The perspective that life’s challenges have given him, that mindfulness to exist in the present, and the intentionality with which Mendoza attacks every second of the day is what makes him special–more so than any physical gift he possesses. No matter how the rest of the season plays out, his approach will never change, and that will make him successful in any walk of life.