5 transfer destinations to get the most out of Cal QB Fernando Mendoza's NFL upside

One of the most intriguing players to have entered the transfer portal is former California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Cal had a relatively successful first year in the ACC. The travel was brutal, but Justin Wilcox and his team did more than enough to catch our attention. While all eyes on running back Jaydn Ott at the start of the season, Mendoza was the star player of note in Berkeley.

Mendoza surprisingly entered the transfer portal after his redshirt sophomore season at Cal. He will have two years of eligibility left. The Miami native could be looking to join other teams in the ACC, as well as teams across the Power Four. To put it as simply as I can, Mendoza is arguably the one quarterback who caught our attention the most to merit entry into the portal. He is too big for Cal...

So what I am going to do today is identify the five best places for Mendoza to take his game to the next level. He has gotten some heavy interest from a handful of teams in the transfer portal, but his potential suitors are all over the place as was Cal's travel schedule from a season ago. Whoever ends up landing Mendoza in the portal will have themselves a first-round-caliber quarterback for two years.

Let's start with a team that needs to win big in 2025 for its once-rockstar head coach to keep his job.

5. Wisconsin Badgers

I had my reservations about Wisconsin hiring Luke Fickell to be Paul Chryst's long-term replacement two years ago. My concerns were that he wanted to take what was working for him in the Group of Five at Cincinnati and transpose it onto a Big Ten program that wins a ton already in Wisconsin. Going with an Air Raid offense in Madison was always destined to fail, which is why Chip Longo was let go.

Coming in to replace Longo is former Kansas, Baylor and BYU offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. This hire might be more in line with what Wisconsin needs from its offensive coordinator. More importantly, Wisconsin is one of four programs that is reportedly in on Mendoza in the transfer portal. There are better landing spots than Wisconsin, but this is a team that could turn it around in 2025.

Mendoza is probably best served trying to latch onto a Power Two program in the Big Ten or the SEC.

4. UCLA Bruins

One of the other landing spots that Mendoza has already been connected to is UCLA. Like the Wisconsin Badgers, the Bruins did not achieve bowl eligibility this past season. They also moved on from their offensive coordinator. Although DeShaun Foster has plenty of growing room as a head coach, his players played hard for him all season long. Plus, he has some knowledge of Mendoza, too.

Cal and UCLA competed for years in the old Pac-12. Foster had been on Chip Kelly's staff prior to getting promoted from within. Although Eric Bieniemy had to go, it remains to be seen how good of an offense the Bruins will now run under incoming offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri. He spent the last two years working for Curt Cignetti at Indiana and at James Madison before that. This could happen.

UCLA feels like a dark horse candidate to land Mendoza out of the portal, but I am not ruling it out.

3. Indiana Hoosiers

I have already mentioned two other Big Ten teams that Mendoza has been tied to in UCLA and Wisconsin. The third and the most obvious connection of the three has to be the Indiana Hoosiers. Curt Cignetti has IU in the playoff during his first season in Bloomington. For as good as Kurtis Rourke was coming over in the portal from Ohio U, Mendoza has a chance to be even better than Rourke was.

Yes, losing Tino Sunseri to the UCLA offensive coordinator role may slow down the Hoosiers offense just a bit, but for as long as Cignetti is in his bag offensively, Indiana should be more than fine. Because Indiana is on everyone's radar as a College Football Playoff team, it makes the Hoosiers an even more compelling transfer destination in the portal. This is one place where Mendoza can thrive.

Landing a quarterback with Mendoza's upside could be a means to keeping Indiana relevant for good.

2. Miami Hurricanes

Interestingly enough, Miami is the one contender to land Mendoza that was not connected to him right away. He is a Miami native, presumably everything the Hurricanes could want out of the quarterback position. Should Cam Ward turn pro, then it serves The U to turn to someone like Mendoza to lead them under center next year. Mendoza would be awesome in this Miami offense.

For as long as Shannon Dawson is around calling plays, Miami will remain playoff viable, regardless of any major meltdowns in the sidelines from head coach Mario Cristobal. In all honesty, Mendoza should go to Miami in the transfer portal. They were my immediate pick to land him up until this weekend. There is one team out there who has a need who could give Mendoza even more stardom.

Although I would not be shocked if Mendoza ended up coming home to play for Miami, there is this...

1. Georgia Bulldogs

The fourth team tied to Mendoza in the transfer portal would be the Georgia Bulldogs. As is the case with the Indiana Hoosiers, the Dawgs have a College Football Playoff to take part in. Fate would have it, should the Hoosiers get past Notre Dame in South Bend on Friday, they would then be facing Georgia in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day night. Georgia feels like a team that could land a player.

With Carson Beck having played potentially his last snap at Georgia, it remains to be seen if Gunner Stockton will be the guy to lead the Dawgs out of the tunnel next year. I don't know if Mendoza would transfer to Georgia if he is not guaranteed playing time Between the Hedges, but we have seen the Dawgs pursue quarterbacks from all over the place, either out of high school or in the transfer portal.

Mendoza could be as good as Beck was running Mike Bobo's offense, maybe even a bit more precise.