Fernando Mendoza, Carson Beck took different routes to CFP championship game

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.

They arrive here having experienced two drastically different journeys only to conclude in the exact final setting.

Make no mistake: Whichever team emerges victorious in Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium — be it top-seeded Indiana or No. 10 seed Miami — quarterback play will define a major part in who’s lifting the title trophy.

Fernando Mendoza and Carson Beck are stars of their respective teams and prime examples of how the transfer portal can work in the ultimate of ways.

The popular narrative is that college football is broken. That reform is desperately needed. That nobody asks what is in the best interest of the game and how does that change things in the future.

That the portal and name, image and likeness dollars have set a negative precedent.

Mendoza of Indiana and Beck of Miami might have a different view of such things.

They are both Florida-raised and will face off in their home state for the game’s highest honor. But getting to this place wasn’t the same by any means.

“Obviously, it feels awesome — to finally be the guy and the quarterback, a part of a team that has done this and gone through a season and eventually earned the opportunity to play in a national championship,” Beck said Saturday. “It’s our ultimate goal obviously, to be in this game, to win this game. Having been a part of it, having been on teams that have done it, have gone all the way, have won all the way, to be back in this moment is pretty surreal.”

Wanted coaching

There is a reason Mendoza is considered the odds-on favorite to be drafted No. 1 overall by the Raiders come April.

Why most believe you’re looking at the future face of the Las Vegas franchise.

The Heisman Trophy winner has proven himself the nation’s best quarterback, a picture of efficiency.

But there is one reason he entered the portal after being at Cal for three years: He wants to be an NFL player and believed his development would be better served elsewhere.

Specifically, under the watchful eye of Indiana coach Curt Cignetti.

“There were a lot of teams in the transfer portal that really sold me on, ‘Hey, we’re going to be a great team. We’re going to have great players around you,’ ” Mendoza said. “However, Coach Cignetti really sold me on ‘We’re going to develop you. I don’t have a crystal ball. I can’t tell if we’re going to be in the Top 25 in the nation, No. 1, or outside of that Top 25. However, I know that I develop quarterbacks. It’s what I do.’ ”

Think about it: Mendoza was the 255th-rated recruit in Florida coming out of Christopher Columbus High in Miami. He was grinding away in obscurity. Nobody wanted him. He has had to prove himself every step of the way.

But there was a sense of hope by Indiana fans when he arrived on campus. A feeling this just might be the guy to lead the Hoosiers to unprecedented heights.

He had played well enough as a two-year starter at Cal to earn such positive vibes, despite not arriving in Bloomington with the sparkling résumé of a five-star recruit that so many others carry across the nation.

But he also this season has the skill around him to produce a 1,000-yard rusher, a 900-yard rusher and two wide receivers with more than 800 yards.

Mendoza, as you might imagine, isn’t too worried about past evaluations.

“We have a lot of college five-stars going to the NFL,” he said. “I was a two-star prospect. I sucked. Like, I wasn’t very good. A lot of kids get wrapped up in the identity of ‘Oh, this is who I am.’ At that point, you can still improve.

“I was a two-star then, and now I hope I’ve been better than a two-star playing here. It’s only a little mark, a little identification, just because college recruiting is so tough nowadays. However, it’s your decision at that point on how you’re going to have that work ethic and how you’re going to develop as a player to get better and better every single day.”

It’s why he put his name in the portal. Why he transferred to Indiana.

That’s his journey. That’s what makes him so special.

And someone, no doubt, the Raiders very much have their eye on.

Overcoming the odds

Carson Beck lay there, his right elbow stinging with pain at the 50-yard line of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

He was attempting a Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half in the SEC championship in 2024 and was hit by Texas defender Trey Moore.

Beck’s arm bent backward, which led to a ulnar collateral ligament injury.

What some forget: Beck was part of two national championship teams at Georgia, but never got to experience being the starter in a season’s final moment.

He was forever loyal to the Bulldogs, dreaming for years about being the one to lead Georgia to a title.

What some also forget: Until the injury, he was never returning to college. His sights were set on the NFL. But all of that changed with one hit. So he entered the portal and came home to Florida for a final season.

“I made that decision, and here we are,” Beck said. “It’s really worked out well, yeah. Obviously, there’s times where you doubt yourself through that process. There’s times when it’s really hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel in that process. I had to make the decision and the choice myself, but having everyone else around me really, really helped that process.

“The way that this year has gone, it’s been unbelievable. It’s been ups and downs, a roller-coaster ride, but the way this team has been able to handle adversity and just bounce back from so many doubters and people not believing in us has been great.”

He wasn’t able to participate in Miami’s spring practice. Still wasn’t able to throw a football.

But he ultimately recovered enough to pass for 3,581 yards white completing 73 percent of his throws this season.

Miami as a No. 10 seed was a surprise by many just to make the playoff. But once there, the Hurricanes behind Beck have ripped off wins against higher seeds in Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss.

“I’m a big believer in Carson Beck,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Sunday. “He epitomizes the ability to take an adverse situation and turn it into something that helps him grow and mature and become the stronger version of himself. Since the day he arrived, he has galvanized the entire team so they knew he was willing to do anything for it. He just wants to win.”

Two quarterbacks, two different journeys, and yet only one will lift that trophy Monday night.

College football might be broken, but it still produces some memorable stories.

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.