Fernando Mendoza

So far, I’ve heard no to Mendoza, no to Beck, no to Ewers.

Aside from Cam Ward and John Mateer, who is worthy of playing QB for our program that just won 10 games for the second time in two decades?
What does this even mean?

IMHO it is not who is “worthy” the point is how many portal QBs are better than Emory-Nickel-Anderson? There isn’t a Cam Ward this year but I bet we could find someone better than what we have. This should be the whole point.

Maybe right now we can serve all of us better if we admit that they are going with Emory regardless.
 
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This would seem like a good fit for both sides.

Columbus grad. Dad was a OL and played with Mario at Columbus. His family lives literally 5 minutes from the UM campus.

His mom suffers from ALS I believe and it has worsened over the years, so playing at home may be a consideration.

I do like the fact that he has a lot of playing experience and in particular against ACC opponents.

I’ve known the kid and his dad since he was 9 or 10 because my son played with him for years at South Miami youth football.

I’ve thought of asking his dad about what’s going on but it’s probably a very personal family decision and I don’t want to intrude.

He is the nicest kid you could imagine and teammates will love him.

He has good skills and a good arm, and although not very athletic, he’s very smart.

We can overcome some of his minor limitations if we surround him with a great OL and some good playmakers, which we will.

I like Emory but not sure if I want to throw him in there against some really good teams to open up the 2025 season.
Terrible news about his mom having ALS. When they show her on TV, she’s too young of a woman to be dealing with that. Real sad.
 
What does this even mean?

IMHO it is not who is “worthy” the point is how many portal QBs are better than Emory-Nickel-Anderson? There isn’t a Cam Ward this year but I bet we could find someone better than what we have. This should be the whole point.

Maybe right now we can serve all of us better if we admit that they are going with Emory regardless.
Who do you want?
 
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Who do you want?
I would have preferred to be more aggressive early in the window. Mensah intrigued me, I saw potential in Jackson Arnold, and even Miller Moss would have been a solid choice.

However, we know how Mario operates. He went all in for a player whom everyone expected to commit to Oklahoma, and here we are (I don’t blame him for trying, don’t get me wrong)

That said, I would still want Mendoza. I believe he would be a high-floor option.
 
I mean, we had spectacular QB play this year and lost 2 games. Where would average QB play this year put us? 7-5? I think Mendoza or Emory put us at 7, 8 wins next year. Again, question is, is there someone that can put us at 9,10+?
With the OL and RBs we had this year, if the average QB protected the ball I don't think our record would be much different. I'm assuming we'd have thrown the ball less and run it more. We were really good at running the ball.

I think our OL and RBs will be really good again next year too. Could be better if Martinez comes back and we get a better center than we had this year. I don't think we need Superman at QB, why I'm fine with taking Mendoza or these flawed but extremely talented QBs on playoff teams who may enter the portal.

We'll get a new defensive coordinator, who if he can be better schene-wise and instilling smart, disciplined play on defense will go a long ways towards fixing our defense. We've done a great job so far in the portal getting talented dudes at positions of need on defense, and we have a ton of young talent on that side of the ball that hopefully makes a development leap.

I don't think we need our QB to Cam Ward next year. Protect the ball, have the ability to drive it down field, and have the ability to make the occasional off schedule play. Some mobility would be nice too.
 
What does this even mean?

IMHO it is not who is “worthy” the point is how many portal QBs are better than Emory-Nickel-Anderson? There isn’t a Cam Ward this year but I bet we could find someone better than what we have. This should be the whole point.

Maybe right now we can serve all of us better if we admit that they are going with Emory regardless.
Who said we are?
 
With the OL and RBs we had this year, if the average QB protected the ball I don't think our record would be much different. I'm assuming we'd have thrown the ball less and run it more. We were really good at running the ball.

I think our OL and RBs will be really good again next year too. Could be better if Martinez comes back and we get a better center than we had this year. I don't think we need Superman at QB, why I'm fine with taking Mendoza or these flawed but extremely talented QBs on playoff teams who may enter the portal.

We'll get a new defensive coordinator, who if he can be better schene-wise and instilling smart, disciplined play on defense will go a long ways towards fixing our defense. We've done a great job so far in the portal getting talented dudes at positions of need on defense, and we have a ton of young talent on that side of the ball that hopefully makes a development leap.

I don't think we need our QB to Cam Ward next year. Protect the ball, have the ability to drive it down field, and have the ability to make the occasional off schedule play. Some mobility would be nice too.
You’re not far from what I observed in some of the games yesterday.
 
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Who do you want?
I’m okay with Mendoza. Think he would do fine and we could win 9-10 games with him if we continue to elevate the defense.

That said, I wanted Jackson Arnold. I also would have liked for us to pursue Mensah. We put all of our eggs in the Mateer basket and watched solid options commit elsewhere.

So now, I think you better land Mendoza. He’s better than Ewers and Beck. If Emory is truly as good as the staff thinks, he’ll beat out Mendoza.
 
So far, I’ve heard no to Mendoza, no to Beck, no to Ewers.

Aside from Cam Ward and John Mateer, who is worthy of playing QB for our program that just won 10 games for the second time in two decades?
Of that group, I’d pick Mendoza.

But the question needs to be properly framed: after barely winning 10 games with a generational QB and an elite offense, is there a QB available who can come close to reproducing the results of 2024, let alone improve upon them? People look at 2024 and rightly assess we needed the best QB in college football to miss the ACC Championship and the playoff. They also look at who we are losing on offense and quickly realize the next guy’s job will be harder than Cam’s was.

Now, it’s possible to improve upon the next season’s result with a lesser QB. Tennessee won in ‘98 with Tee Martin, the year *after* Peyton Manning left. But that roster was loaded on both sides of the ball, with a proven staff.

People aren’t indiscriminately dumping on decent QBs. They recognize it took Cam freaking Ward to win 10 games, with a better offensive roster than we will have in 2025, and question how QBs who are 2-3 levels below him will produce similar results. Let alone reach the playoff.
 
What does this even mean?

IMHO it is not who is “worthy” the point is how many portal QBs are better than Emory-Nickel-Anderson? There isn’t a Cam Ward this year but I bet we could find someone better than what we have. This should be the whole point.

Maybe right now we can serve all of us better if we admit that they are going with Emory regardless.
"how many portal QBs are better than Emory-Nickel-Anderson?"

This is rhetorical, right? Its hard to tell what's sarcasm around here anymore. But just in case, the answer is A LOT of them.

Emory isn't the answer and they're well aware of it. The only people who 100% believe he is are fans who can't even explain why.

Judd is a non-factor and Nickel is still a true freshman no matter how much we like him.

If our depth chart lists those 3 we're in serious trouble.
 
With the OL and RBs we had this year, if the average QB protected the ball I don't think our record would be much different. I'm assuming we'd have thrown the ball less and run it more. We were really good at running the ball.

I think our OL and RBs will be really good again next year too. Could be better if Martinez comes back and we get a better center than we had this year. I don't think we need Superman at QB, why I'm fine with taking Mendoza or these flawed but extremely talented QBs on playoff teams who may enter the portal.

We'll get a new defensive coordinator, who if he can be better schene-wise and instilling smart, disciplined play on defense will go a long ways towards fixing our defense. We've done a great job so far in the portal getting talented dudes at positions of need on defense, and we have a ton of young talent on that side of the ball that hopefully makes a development leap.

I don't think we need our QB to Cam Ward next year. Protect the ball, have the ability to drive it down field, and have the ability to make the occasional off schedule play. Some mobility would be nice too.
You can't really believe that can you?

You think we beat Cal, VT, and UL with Mendoza? No way. Heck, even the Duke game is iffy without Cam. Teams follow the QB. A mediocre QB puts us in a mediocre position.
 
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With the OL and RBs we had this year, if the average QB protected the ball I don't think our record would be much different. I'm assuming we'd have thrown the ball less and run it more. We were really good at running the ball.

I think our OL and RBs will be really good again next year too. Could be better if Martinez comes back and we get a better center than we had this year. I don't think we need Superman at QB, why I'm fine with taking Mendoza or these flawed but extremely talented QBs on playoff teams who may enter the portal.

We'll get a new defensive coordinator, who if he can be better schene-wise and instilling smart, disciplined play on defense will go a long ways towards fixing our defense. We've done a great job so far in the portal getting talented dudes at positions of need on defense, and we have a ton of young talent on that side of the ball that hopefully makes a development leap.

I don't think we need our QB to Cam Ward next year. Protect the ball, have the ability to drive it down field, and have the ability to make the occasional off schedule play. Some mobility would be nice too.
As an aside, I have it on good word Martinez is off to the league.
 
With the OL and RBs we had this year, if the average QB protected the ball I don't think our record would be much different. I'm assuming we'd have thrown the ball less and run it more. We were really good at running the ball.

I think our OL and RBs will be really good again next year too. Could be better if Martinez comes back and we get a better center than we had this year. I don't think we need Superman at QB, why I'm fine with taking Mendoza or these flawed but extremely talented QBs on playoff teams who may enter the portal.

We'll get a new defensive coordinator, who if he can be better schene-wise and instilling smart, disciplined play on defense will go a long ways towards fixing our defense. We've done a great job so far in the portal getting talented dudes at positions of need on defense, and we have a ton of young talent on that side of the ball that hopefully makes a development leap.

I don't think we need our QB to Cam Ward next year. Protect the ball, have the ability to drive it down field, and have the ability to make the occasional off schedule play. Some mobility would be nice too.

If we didn’t have TVD throwing a pic every other possession we probably win 9 games. We really are not that far off that people think
 
Of that group, I’d pick Mendoza.

But the question needs to be properly framed: after barely winning 10 games with a generational QB and an elite offense, is there a QB available who can come close to reproducing the results of 2024, let alone improve upon them? People look at 2024 and rightly assess we needed the best QB in college football to miss the ACC Championship and the playoff. They also look at who we are losing on offense and quickly realize the next guy’s job will be harder than Cam’s was.

Now, it’s possible to improve upon the next season’s result with a lesser QB. Tennessee won in ‘98 with Tee Martin, the year *after* Peyton Manning left. But that roster was loaded on both sides of the ball, with a proven staff.

People aren’t indiscriminately dumping on decent QBs. They recognize it took Cam freaking Ward to win 10 games, with a better offensive roster than we will have in 2025, and question how QBs who are 2-3 levels below him will produce similar results. Let alone reach the playoff.
We need to get better elsewhere. I think that’s obvious. We’re off to a good start with three top-of-their-position type defenders at huge need spots. Still more work to do.

Xavier Lucas would be a home run and give us one of the most talented young CB duos in the nation. I hope we continue to focus on quality over quantity and put pressure on our expensive young players to perform.
 
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So far, I’ve heard no to Mendoza, no to Beck, no to Ewers.

Aside from Cam Ward and John Mateer, who is worthy of playing QB for our program that just won 10 games for the second time in two decades?
I'll take Beck and Ewers before Mendoza, but I think the answer is that there aren't a whole lot of options. The good news is that I think QB play next year across the board is way down.
 
"how many portal QBs are better than Emory-Nickel-Anderson?"

This is rhetorical, right? Its hard to tell what's sarcasm around here anymore. But just in case, the answer is A LOT of them.

Emory isn't the answer and they're well aware of it. The only people who 100% believe he is are fans who can't even explain why.

Judd is a non-factor and Nickel is still a true freshman no matter how much we like him.

If our depth chart lists those 3 we're in serious trouble.
That was exactly my whole point, you don’t have to find someone like Cam (there isn’t btw) you just have to find someone better than Emory.

I think they can do that, if they want.
 
Think it's tough to make a comparison between Mendoza and Beck & Ewers. There are valid concerns about the latter two, but those concerns mostly stem from watching them **** the bed against very good P2 teams in game of consequence. Mendoza simply hasn't played in games like that. He played poorly against Oregon last year, but it's a bit unfair to judge him harshly on that as Cal was completely overmatched.

Beck's injury concerns me a lot. If he needs Tommy John surgery he should be good to go in the summer, but that means he's misses spring practice and it's an unknown whether he'll be the same QB after the surgery. All that said, I'll be happy if we took either of the 3 and rank them:

1. Ewers​
2. Mendoza​
3. Beck (significant injury)​

I thought Ewers played a nice game last night. The miss on 4th down sucked, and it highlighted the concern that he doesn't have it when the chips are down. However 2 possessions later when Texas sealed the game he made some nice clutch plays:
  • Threw perfect backshoulder throw from his own goal line to draw a PI
  • Didn't force a throw on 2nd & 9 when he was pressured and no one was open and got back to the LOS
  • Worked through his progressions and took his checkdown to convert on 3rd & 9
Nothing spectacular, but he didn't need to be spectacular up 2 scores in the 4th. The 3rd down conversion essentially sealed the game. I have trouble accepting that we're somehow screwed if Ewers is our QB next year. He is flawed but he's also been the starting QB on a playoff team 2 years running, and won a playoff game last night.

I would take Nico over all of them if he's over Heupel treating him like a pinata.
You had me until the Nico stuff.
 
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