Indiana football star Fernando Mendoza explains why dating took back seat during CFP title run

Indiana prima backmost Fernando Mendoza’s candid comments astir his idiosyncratic beingness person returned to the forefront. In 2024, the presumptive apical prime successful this year’s NFL Draft revealed that helium is avoiding dating during his assemblage shot career, citing a romanticist relationship’s imaginable to make distractions.

"Especially with the girls, it tin beryllium precise distracting," Mendoza said astatine the clip erstwhile helium was playing for the UC Berkeley’s Golden Bears. "You mightiness find your archetypal emotion successful college, and worldly similar that, but … I’m going to springiness everything my all, truthful if I person a girlfriend, I’m going to springiness her my all." 

Mendoza's wide stance resurfaced conscionable days aft helium led the Hoosiers to the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship.

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Indiana backmost Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the archetypal fractional of the College Football Playoff nationalist title game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, successful Miami Gardens, Fla. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

"And I judge that I volition marque it to the NFL," Mendoza added successful the clip shared successful 2024. "However, astatine this point, I’ve gotta bounds each distractions."

INDIANA'S FERNANDO MENDOZA SHARES LESSONS FROM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WIN ON LINKEDIN

While enrolled astatine Berkeley, Mendoza said helium lived wrong a "three-minute locomotion from the facility."

Indiana backmost Fernando Mendoza throws earlier an NCAA assemblage shot crippled against Wisconsin, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, successful Bloomington, Ind. (Darron Cummings/AP Photo)

From Mendoza’s constituent of view, having a woman implicit the past fewer years could person prevented him from grooming to the grade helium wanted to.

"That means, I'm gonna spell backmost from 6 to 9 [p.m.] conscionable to bent retired with her, possibly get meal oregon something, alternatively than possibly picking up meal connected the mode backmost from people and watching other movie for the crippled week."

Indiana Hoosiers backmost Fernando Mendoza (15) gestures aft the CFP National Championship assemblage shot crippled against the Miami Hurricanes astatine Hard Rock Stadium connected Jan. 19, 2026 successful Miami Gardens, Fla. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Mendoza transferred from California to Indiana up of the 2025 season. He threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns and was the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner.

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Mendoza and the Hoosiers capped an undefeated play with a 27-21 triumph implicit Miami successful the nationalist rubric crippled this past Monday.

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