Cal stunner: Quarterback Fernando Mendoza enters transfer portal a week before LA Bowl

Cal’s Fernando Mendoza, who has emerged as one of the country’s up-and-coming quarterbacks, announced on social media Wednesday that he’s leaving school and entering the transfer portal.

Mendoza’s surprising departure comes one week before Cal (6-6) faces No. 24 UNLV (10-3) in the LA Bowl and was met with disappointment and frustration by Justin Wilcox. The Bears head coach said he unsuccessfully tried convincing the redshirt sophomore to stay in Berkeley.

“Disappointed for sure,” Wilcox said during a Wednesday news conference. “Yeah, I’ll keep all the discussions (with Mendoza) private. I think that’s best. … I don’t think anything surprises me anymore in college football.”

Mendoza had become a darling among the Cal fanbase with his effervescent personality andy gutsy play even before rallying the Bears on a 98-yard drive to secure a dramatic Big Game win over Stanford last month and shedding tears of pride in his team during the postgame interview. On Wednesday, he took to the social media platform X to explain his decision to enter the transfer portal.

“Every person is faced with decisions that inevitably shape their lives, and rarely do they lack gravity,” wrote Mendoza. “But for the sake of my football future this is the decision I have reached.”

Mendoza was lightly recruited out of high school, as Cal was the only power-conference program to offer him a scholarship.

After passing for 3,004 yards on a 68.7 percent completion percentage, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mendoza will have plenty of options for his next school. The website 247Sports said the Miami product is only ranked behind Duke’s Maalik Murphy among the dozens of quarterbacks now in the portal. Mendoza is someone who evaluators see as “a high-end talent with NFL upside,” according to 247Sports.

One popular speculative landing spot for Mendoza is his hometown of Miami, where the Hurricanes will be losing star quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward to the NFL after this season.

Wilcox said no decision has been made on who will start at quarterback when Cal takes on No. 24 UNLV next Wednesday night at SoFi Stadium. CJ Harris, Cal’s third-string quarterback, and freshman EJ Caminong are splitting reps in practice, he said.

Chandler Rogers, Mendoza’s backup, would be the heir apparent in normal circumstances. However, he was injured late in Cal’s 38-6 regular season-ending loss to SMU and departed with a leg injury. His status for the bowl game is unknown.

Trying to sort out his quarterback situation a few days before a bowl game wasn’t what Wilcox expected this week.

“We did everything we could do to keep (Mendoza),” Wilcox said. “And, as I mentioned, these guys have just tough decisions to make. And I empathize with players in this era because there’s a lot going on. It’s very, very complicated.

“We don’t have enough time to talk through it and I don’t necessarily think it would be productive to talk through it.”

Mendoza’s impending departure comes one day after Wilcox and Cal announced the hiring of former Auburn and Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin as the Bears’ new offensive coordinator.

In announcing his decision in a lengthy post, Mendoza took time to offer his gratitude to the university, his teammates, Wilcox and his staff, as well as Cal fans everywhere.

“I sincerely hope that I was able to make a positive impact during my time in Berkeley as a human being, and not simply as a football player,” Mendoza wrote. “I am forever indebted to you all for taking a chance on, and blessing a young man with an opportunity to live out his dream.”