My Two Cents: Mendoza Family Jets Off to New York; Will He Come Home With Heisman Trophy?

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My Two Cents: Mendoza Family Jets Off to New York; Will He Come Home With Heisman Trophy?

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — On Thursday afternoon, the Mendoza boys — Fernando and Alberto — jetted off to New York from Bloomington, and a few hours later their parents weren't far behind, flying north from Miami.

The occasion was only a dream for years and years when Fernando was growing up in Miami. He hoped to have a memorable career, and now all of that was coming to life. He's been the talk of the college football world all season, leading Indiana to a 13-0 record, a Big Ten championship — the school's first outright conference title in 80 years — and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Combine his off-the-chart individual numbers with team success, and it's no surprise that Mendoza is winning every national player of the year award this week. And there's one more to come on Saturday night, when the Heisman Trophy is announced in New York. The hour-long broadcast starts at 7 p.m. ET, with the award being presented late in the show.

Straw polls say Mendoza is a heavy favorite. If he wins, he'll be the first Indiana player to ever get the Heisman, the most prestigious award in college sports.

He leads all FBS quarterbacks in both passing and total touchdowns, with game winners against Iowa, Oregon, Penn State and Ohio State.

He's played well at the most important times, and Indiana is the lone unbeaten in the country because of it. And now, more than likely, he'll get that win for Indiana on Saturday night one more time.

Mendoza is just the second Hoosier to even be invited to New York for the Heisman finals. The other was running back Anthony Thompson in 1989. He lost to Houston quarterback Andre Ware in something of a surprise.

Thompson has worked at Indiana for years, and has seen it all on the football field. He's one of the greats, for sure, and he's all in on Mendoza.

“That kid made me a believer. He never quits. I see that in him. He has great leadership skills. That’s why, I think, that they win, because he’s a great leader,” Thompson told the Indianapolis Star. “I might be biased, but I watch a lot of college football; I have not seen a quarterback with his poise and his intellect, and his arm talent all year, a quarterback like him.

“Last year, they proved to the nation that they were real. This year, they’ve taken it up to another level. When I see it every game, I’m like, these guys are so impressive. They don’t give up,” Thompson said. "They’re creating history right in front of our eyes. That’s what I get a lot of joy from. They’re creating history. They’re breaking records. They’re doing things we were trying to do when I played, or even when George Taliaferro played. They’re doing it.”

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Grand sendoff for Mendoza parents

Down in Miami, Mendoza's parents jumped on an airplane as well and they received a big sendoff from officials at Miami International Airport. It was a high-profile day for them too, because Mendoza's mother Elsa, wrote a beautiful first-person piece for The Players Tribune that will bring you to tears. 

Elsa has been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis for years and is often confined to a wheelchair now. Their relationship remains very strong, though, and she wrote all about it in her ltter. 

"As I look back on the journey you’ve taken to get to this point, and all the things I’m proud of you for, what stands out to me is how so many of those things are connected. You’ve developed such a wonderful sense of self over the years,'' she wrote. "I should have known — when you insisted on staying a Patriots fan in Miami! But it’s just always been clear that you know who you are. This comes out in really fun ways sometimes. I’ll never forget when we were at a basketball game, you were maybe 7 or 8, and they were doing that thing where they show different fans dancing on the jumbotron.

"A lot of people, when they’re shown, they get embarrassed and stop dancing. Not you. I remember seeing you notice yourself on the screen … pause for maybe the tiniest second … and then get that classic Fernando spark in your eye. Like you’d decided, in real time, Actually you know what??? I love to dance. I want to dance. So that’s what I’m going to do. 

"And I feel like it’s with that same conviction about who you are, and what you want, that you’ve approached your journey as a football player. You’ve had to overcome obstacles at every step along the way — and I’m so proud of how, instead of letting those obstacles define you, you’ve treated them as opportunities to define yourself.''

Both Mendoza boys have done a lot all season to raise awareness for MS. Thanks to his NIL partnership with Adidas, Mendoza took four families affected by MS on a New York holiday shopping spree with each family getting $10,000.

Enjoying the New York experience

Mendoza has spent a lot of time the past few days with fellow Heisman finalists Julian Sayin of Ohio State, Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt and Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame. 

Mendoza has been loving every minute of it, handling it professionally and humbly.

It's all about to culminate in the game's biggest award. He's earned it, and proved it with greatness all season long.

“I think there are unknowns entering every season, particularly with new guys, what I would say about Fernando is what stands out to me, is the way he performs with the game on the line, the plays he makes,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “That’s when he seems to lock in and play his best ball.”

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