God, Faith, & Football
Fernando Mendoza’s Triumph in Miami
Every time I encounter a moment that reads like a Hollywood script, I stop—and I’m struck by the unmistakable hand of God. I don’t buy coincidences or cosmic alignment. I believe in purpose: when God chooses to move in someone’s life, He does it with such precision and resonance that a whole nation can’t help but stand in awe.
The 2026 College Football National Championship and the Fernando Mendoza journey will be ones to talk about for years to come. You will see articles all this week with statements like, “scripted from a Hollywood underdog tale,” and that sentiment isn’t wrong. However, I don’t think something that is perceived as so perfectly written wasn’t. We just need to recognize the author.
Fernando Mendoza was a two-star recruit out of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, FL—the same alma mater as Miami's head coach, Mario Cristobal. Fernando wanted nothing more than to play college football in his own backyard for the Miami Hurricanes. He attended their camps as a youth and sought a walk-on opportunity, but was declined even that spot. "I was a two-star recruit coming out of high school. I got declined to walk-on at the University of Miami," Mendoza reflected after the championship win, "Full circle moment here playing in Miami."
Full circle might be the understatement of the season. When he wasn’t able to land a spot at The U, he ended up in California as a redshirted freshman, only to emerge as the third-string quarterback coming into the 2023 season. It took six games for Mendoza to take the starting position under center, and his performance would make him the undeniable choice moving forward. By the end of the 2024 season, Fernando Mendoza, who helped the team reach a bowl appearance, entered the portal to transfer to Indiana University with Head Coach Curt Cignetti and brother Alberto Mendoza.
The Hoosiers, led by Cignetti, went a perfect 16-0 and secured the first-ever National Championship for Indiana. In a program that struggled to find a winning season year after year, Cignetti put double digits in the win column back-to-back in his first two seasons. Something Indiana had never done before in the program's history. Although that sounds like the perfect ending, it’s just the beginning.
Fernando Mendoza is a devout Christian and has been openly public about his faith in Jesus, stating that “This season is the season I’ve got the closest, the most religious I’ve ever been, and I think it’s also been reflected by the success…” We often pray for things that we see as our dream, the life we can’t imagine any other way. I am sure, from all accounts, that Mendoza felt that way as a young man about playing football for the University of Miami. I am sure he would have loved to be a part of that program, even as a walk-on backup, taking the field in his hometown in front of friends and family someday. However, God often has a plan for us far greater than we could imagine.
God ultimately answered his prayers in a story only he can write. Fernando Mendoza, a 2-star recruit becomes the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner, rushing on 4th down, breaking tackles, and diving for the endzone, winning the National Championship, and solidifying a perfect season for the losingest program in NCAA history, in front of his hometown, in the very stadium he dreamed of as a kid, while his devoted mother with MS celebrates from her wheelchair, as his father embraces her cheering, refusing to stand for her sake, is the most poetic divine intervention of a man’s life we will ever see in college football history.
Mendoza’s college football career might serve as the blueprint for faith and purpose in sport, business, and life. We must pursue and develop our God-given talents with wild abandon. Throughout that pursuit, we must remain focused and not take our eyes off what matters most—Jesus. Trust in God that the plan he has for our lives is perfect in how it will glorify him and that his will is ultimately our own. Prayer, conviction, sanctification, and a relentless pursuit of greatness for the glory of the kingdom.
I don’t know if we will see another story like this one in college football, but we continue to see them more and more as some incredible NCAA programs (Oklahoma Softball, Auburn Men’s Basketball, Ohio Football, to name a few) have sparked a revival in what it means to be a Christian Athlete.
I think we can all ask ourselves what does it mean to be a Christian ______________ (insert title here). Are we operating with that same trust and conviction in the Lord? Are we leading our teammates with that same relentless pursuit of greatness? Do we proudly wear our faith on our sleeves in both victory and defeat?
This week, I have been inspired by a young man, not only for his performance on the field, but also for the effort it took him just to get there. I watched him ensure that his teammates held up that trophy before he did, that he honored his mother and father, and used his platform to glorify his Lord and Savior. I watched him embrace God’s perfect plan for his life and inspire a nation of young people to do the same—Amen.
