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Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, took some time away from the Las Vegas Raiders to twirl his tassel and perhaps show off his arm by throwing his cap at a graduation ceremony this weekend.
But it wasn’t at Indiana’s graduation ceremony: He returned to Cal.
Mendoza, who missed a visit to the White House with his Hoosiers teammates earlier this month to focus on his time with his new NFL team, was part of Cal’s MBA graduation ceremony Saturday after previously missing his undergraduate ceremony last Wednesday.
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Fernando Mendoza looks to pass during the Las Vegas Raiders rookie minicamp at the team’s headquarters in Henderson, Nevada, on May 2, 2026. (David Becker/Getty Images)
Once again, Mendoza didn’t want to leave his Raiders teammates, but Jenny Chatman, dean of Cal’s Haas School of Business, made an exception for the man who completed his career at Cal.
During the ceremony, Chatman paused to share his surprise that Mendoza was able to take the stage to receive his college degree.
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“We have a Haas undergraduate who was unable to attend Wednesday’s graduation. So I hope you don’t mind that we invited this person to our MBA graduation,” Chatman told the crowd. “He actually had a very good excuse for missing graduation. He used his skills and Haas courses to negotiate a great job and a great compensation package.
“But he couldn’t change his start date when he needed to report to his new job, so could you help me welcome Las Vegas Raider, Heisman Trophy winner, Haas grad and Cal Bear forever, Fernando Mendoza?”
The surprise generated a lot of cheers for Mendoza who, as always, wore a bright smile on his face as he walked across the stage and accepted his degree in business administration and management.
Mendoza finished that degree while enrolled in a master’s program in Indiana in 2025.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza warms up during rookie minicamp at the Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nevada, on May 2, 2026. (Candice Ward/Image Images)
During that time, facing two workloads with two different schools, Mendoza also guided the Hoosiers to a historic undefeated season under head coach Curt Cignetti, ultimately leading them to a national championship victory in his native Miami against his hometown Miami Hurricanes.
It was during the undefeated season that Mendoza established himself as the top quarterback option in this year’s draft, and the Raiders, a team desperate for a quarterback of the future, confirmed all predictions that he would go first overall last month.
Now, his focus is on how he can impact his new franchise, whether he’s a starter or not. Veteran Kirk Cousins is also on the quarterback depth chart in “Sin City,” and new head coach Klint Kubiak has mentioned the ideal scenario where Cousins begins Week 1, with Mendoza developing and learning behind him before taking over under center.
It’s because of that approach that Mendoza said he would not join his Hoosier teammates in the nation’s capital for a ceremony at the White House to celebrate their national championship.
President Donald Trump revealed that Mendoza did call him and they had a conversation.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, attends a news conference at Raiders headquarters in Henderson, Nevada, on April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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“He called me and explained why he couldn’t be here,” Trump told the group at the White House during the ceremony.
“If he wasn’t here for any other reason. If he didn’t like Trump, he wouldn’t have mentioned him for any other reason. I like him, he’s actually a big fan of what we’re doing… Fernando couldn’t be here today because he’s now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. I hope he does well.”
