Fernando Mendoza Stops By Georgia Tech's Saturday Spring Practice

Spring practice rolled on for Georgia Tech today. This was the third practice of the spring for the Yellow Jackets, and it also came one day after their pro day, where NFL teams showed up to see the next wave of players from Georgia Tech head into the pros.

For practice this morning, Georgia Tech had a future pro who was not one of their own stop by. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, national champion, and presumed No. 1 pick, Fernando Mendoza, stopped by The Flats today to check out practice and see his brother, Alberto, compete. Alberto Mendoza is, of course, competing for the starting job at Georgia Tech with Graham Knowles, Grady Adamson, and Cole Bergeron.

Special guest in attendance today at practice. It's a guy than won some hardware last year and a national title. Might know a guy that transferred here in January. pic.twitter.com/7Ta5XTlHfw
— Alex Farrer (@AFarrersports) March 14, 2026

Ever since Alberto left Indiana, his older brother has shown a ton of support for him and his decision to go to Georgia Tech and it is never a bad thing to have a player of his stature watching practice. Mendoza is the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 pick in next month's draft and the future franchise quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Competing for the top spot

While he is the high-profile transfer of the group, Mendoza is not being given anything and is going to have to earn the starting job, which is the way he is approaching it and one of the reasons that BRent Key spoke so highly of him earlier this week:

“Fast. National championship game was on a Monday, and you go into that thing, and he gets in the portal after the game, and they contact, and we were first off, and we closed it up there

I think if you look at the play he did have on the field and what he was able to do, it really fit where I want to take the offense, where I want to take the team, the way he throws, what he's good at throwing, ability to evade a rush, make plays with his feet. We're not going to sit here and be a designed quarterback run team. Haynes King, like I just said, is an alpha dude now. He's different. Midway through the third quarter, you're playing Clemson, he walks up and says, put the ball in my hand so we can go win the game. A lot more colorful than that. You believe in that guy. And, again, all schemes are personnel-driven.”

Whoever starts at quarterback is going to have big shoes to fill with Haynes King off to the NFL, but Mendoza has talent and was brought here for a reason.