MIAMI — Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza has heard plenty this week about his ties to South Florida ahead of Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game.
But beyond the hometown storyline is a deeper connection that links generations of football and one Miami high school, to college football’s biggest stage.
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Before he ever took a snap for Indiana, Mendoza starred at Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, a program known for its tradition and tight-knit culture.
“Columbus brotherhood made me who I am, not only as a player, but also as a character and a teammate,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza said those lessons have carried with him to Bloomington, where Indiana’s success this season has been fueled by chemistry just as much as talent.
“The brotherhood really taught me how to grow close to one another,” Mendoza said. “And I think that’s the superpower of this Indiana team, the glue that we have together and the bond that we have together.”
Christopher Columbus High School also helped shape the man Mendoza could face on the opposite sideline Monday night: Mario Cristobal, the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes.
Cristobal and Mendoza’s father, Fernando Mendoza Sr., also attended the same high school.
“To see this evolve, no one would believe it,” said John Lynskey, the school’s ambassador of alumni relations. “That Fernando’s son is playing against Mario and Alex for the national championship against the Hurricanes in Miami — you can’t make that up.”
Lynskey has been at Christopher Columbus High School for more than four decades and even coached Cristobal during his high school years.
“Mario has always been explosive and volatile,” Lynskey said. “He’s like a napalm strike. He doesn’t have an off switch.”
Monday night’s championship sets up a full-circle moment: the son of a former offensive lineman lining up against his father’s high school teammate, this time with a national title on the line.
“It’s a tremendous feeling of gratitude and fulfillment,” Lynskey said.
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