Fernando Mendoza has undoubtedly taken the world by storm over the last year.
To add to his stacked resume, the Raiders' No. 1 overall pick has been named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in Sports of 2026.
"Fernando Mendoza accomplished one of the great surprise college-football feats: he won a national championship and Heisman Trophy as quarterback for Indiana, a basketball school with so little football tradition that, before Mendoza's arrival in 2025, the Hoosiers hadn't played in a Rose Bowl since 1968," TIME Magazine senior correspondent Sean Gregory wrote.
"They had enjoyed exactly four winning seasons since 1995. Under second-year coach Curt Cignetti, Mendoza, a Cal transfer, threw 41 touchdown passes, tops in the nation, and led the Hoosiers to a 16-0 record–the first 16-win season in college football since the 1894 Yale Bulldogs. His enthusiastic postgame interviews became a staple that fans can only hope continue with the Las Vegas Raiders, who took him No. 1 in the NFL Draft. Mendoza has cited his mother, Elsa, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis nearly 20 years ago, as an inspiration: in April, he announced he was donating $500,000 for MS research."
Mendoza, who was placed under the "Leaders" category, is one of four current NFL players to make the inaugural top 100. He's also joined on the list by his college coach Curt Cignetti.
"It's a blessing and it really comes from having a great team and great teammates and great coaches of my past year in college because without them, then we wouldn't have as many games as we did," Mendoza said of the honor.
"I think I'm happy that I'm back down at the bottom of the totem pole," he added. "Although it's great to get some reminders from the college career, it's good to start back from stage one, from level one, have to work my way back up and get a sense of industriousness to be successful at the next level. Again, it is a huge blessing. ... A list with legends like LeBron James, like so many others, it's an incredible honor."
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