Las Vegas Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza Celebrates Graduation

Fernando Mendoza, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, recently took a break from his responsibilities with the Las Vegas Raiders. He participated in a graduation ceremony, proudly tossing his cap after completing his degree at the University of California, Berkeley. This event took place during Cal’s MBA commencement ceremony, marking a return to Berkeley rather than attending Indiana’s earlier commencement ceremony.

Mendoza, who had to skip a White House visit with his Indiana Hoosiers teammates earlier this month, made sure to prioritize his time with his new NFL team. Despite this busy schedule, he managed to be part of Cal’s graduation ceremonies on Saturday, joining the MBA commencement after previously missing their undergraduate ceremony earlier that week.

During Cal’s ceremony, Jenny Chatman, dean of the Haas School of Business, made a special announcement acknowledging Mendoza’s presence, despite his absence from the undergraduate ceremony.

Chatman emphasized, “We have one Haas undergraduate student, Fernando Mendoza, who could not make it to the commencement. Mendoza, a Las Vegas Raider, Heisman Trophy winner, and Haas graduate, negotiated an excellent job and compensation package but couldn’t change his start date. Welcome him warmly.”

The crowd responded with loud cheers as Mendoza accepted his degree in business administration and management. He completed this achievement while enrolled in a master’s program at Indiana in 2025.

During his time juggling dual workloads at two schools, Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a historic undefeated season. Under head coach Curt Cignetti, Indiana achieved a national championship victory against the Miami Hurricanes in Mendoza’s hometown.

This successful season solidified Mendoza as the top quarterback pick for the draft. Confirming predictions, the Raiders chose him as the first overall pick last month, looking to nurture him into their future star quarterback.

The team plans for Mendoza to develop behind veteran Kirk Cousins. Head coach Klint Kubiak views Cousins starting Week 1, with Mendoza learning before taking over as the starting quarterback.

Due to his focus on the Raiders, Mendoza couldn’t accompany his Hoosiers teammates to celebrate their national championship at the White House. Nevertheless, he reached out to President Donald Trump, explaining his absence, and engaged in a supportive conversation.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He provides extensive sports coverage on various platforms.