It’s not often that elite, homegrown talent shows up right on your front door. But that’s what happened in 2022 when Miami-native Fernando Mendoza presented himself to his hometown team, the Miami Hurricanes, as a potential walk-on candidate, only to get rejected.
That rejection came back and bit the Hurricanes Monday night in a big way.
Mendoza led his team, the Indiana Hoosiers, to a 27-21 victory over the Miami in a star-studded performance that the Heisman winner described as a “full circle moment” after the game.
“I got declined to walk-on at the University of Miami. Full circle moment here playing in Miami… There [are] no words.”
While Mendoza may have had no words, fans and media had plenty to say both Monday night and into Tuesday about his gutsy performance. A tour de force, perhaps best encapsulated by a 4th & 5 in the middle of the fourth quarter, when Mendoza pulled the ball down and ran for the first down, bouncing off several would-be tacklers before leaping and extending for the end zone.
The Canes saw many examples Monday night that would lead them to admit they made a mistake in not accepting the then-two-star recruit.
But they got some reminders last year as well, when Mendoza, then the quarterback for the California Golden Bears, led his squad to a 25-point lead over the Hurricanes. Though then-quarterback Cam Ward would eventually retake the lead and bring the Canes back for the win, it was apparent to all observers that Mendoza was no two-star QB.
That performance prompted Miami to offer the QB they once rejected a lucrative NIL (name, image, and likeness). However, this time, it was Miami’s turn to be rejected, as Mendoza opted to sign with the juggernaut being built by Curt Cignetti in Bloomington.
And the rest is history.
Though Carson Beck ultimately threw the pick that cost Miami the game, he played well this year. But the question about what could have been had the Canes signed the tall skinny kid who lived ten minutes away.