Georgia Nearly Landed Fernando Mendoza and Fans Just Found Out

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There were plenty of fascinating stories in college football this past season, but it would be hard to top the journey of Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

On a personal level, Mendoza was a two-star recruit who was overlooked by just about every Power 4 program in the country. He started his career with the California Golden Bears, where he had some bright moments, but didn’t explode onto the scene until this past season.

Aside from being overlooked as a recruit and ending up at the losingest program in college football history, Mendoza is notoriously energetic in interviews, outspoken about his Cuban roots and prefers LinkedIn over other social media platforms. Ultimately, he led the Hoosiers to their first football title and to just the third 16-0 season in the sport’s history.

However, there is an alternate universe where Mendoza didn’t end up in Bloomington. The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and projected No. 1 overall pick revealed on The Ticket Sportsradio in Dallas that he, at one point, attempted to commit to the Georgia Bulldogs, but his call didn’t go through.

“I think there was one time even where I was about to call [head coach] Kirby [Smart] to commit to Georgia and the call didn’t go through,” said Mendoza. “And I thought, ‘All right, let me sleep on it tonight.’ I really believed God helped me with that.”

Things worked out pretty well for Mendoza at Indiana, but it would be interesting to see how Kirby Smart would have handled a quarterback battle between he and current Bulldogs starter Gunner Stockton.

In his first season as the starter for the Dawgs, Stockton led the team to a 12-2 record while winning the SEC. After clinching the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, Stockton and Georgia were bounced by the Ole Miss Rebels in the quarterfinal round.

Stockton ended the year with 2,894 yards with 24 touchdowns to just five picks and 10 more scores on the ground, but there’s no telling how different the offense would have looked with Mendoza behind center.

Related: Kirby Smart, Georgia Facing Pressure for Nation’s No. 3 CB

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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