Indiana crossover: Raiders' Fernando Mendoza catches the eye of Fever's Sophie Cunningham
Sophie Cunningham’s Indiana Fever roots were on display when she showed love to another star Indiana athlete, the newest Las Vegas Raiders quarterback, Fernando Mendoza. The NFL’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft starred with the Indiana Hoosiers and recently revealed on Instagram that he had graduated from the University of California’s Haas School of Business.
Mendoza began his collegiate career at California from 2022-24 before landing with the Hoosiers, and he has now received his degree from the school. The post received love in the form of comments and likes from several notable names, including Cunningham, which Pro Football Network highlighted.
As seen above, joining Cunningham in showing love to Mendoza was Tom Brady, longtime NFL superstar and current part-owner of the Raiders. Cunningham moved to Indiana, joining the Fever for the 2025 season, and is currently in her second year with the team.
As for Mendoza, his huge leap to college football stardom came with the move to Indiana. After throwing 30 touchdown passes over two seasons with Cal, Mendoza completed 72% of his passes with 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions, while tacking on seven rushing scores in 2025 with Indiana. Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a CFP National Championship victory and was named the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fever’s Sophie Cunningham reacts to Raiders draft pick Fernando Mendoza
