With NIL deals flooding college football, from auto giants to fitness brands, Fernando Mendoza chose a different lane. The 2025 Heisman winner and Indiana quarterback, who is inching toward the NFL with teams like the Las Vegas Raiders watching closely, made moves off the field by teaming up with LinkedIn.

“NEW: Fernando Mendoza is officially working with LinkedIn,” reported Front Office Sports. “LinkedIn tells FOS it has begun working with Mendoza, an avid user of the app, in an official “more integrated” capacity, with plans to continue the partnership indefinitely.”

Unlike other college football players who see social media platforms as their portfolio, Mendoza maintains a LinkedIn profile. He doesn’t just maintain it; he regularly updates it. Once Mendoza declared for the NFL Draft on January 23, he made the announcement corporate-style. He updated his LinkedIn profile picture with an “open to work” badge.

Coming off Indiana’s 27-21 victory over Miami in the CFP Championship Game, Mendoza followed it up by updating his LinkedIn bio:

“Here’s what winning a National Championship taught me about B2B sales 🏆  (kidding…kinda),” the Indiana quarterback shared a step-by-step guide for the future players. “1. Believe in yourself,” “2. Take the risk,” and “3. Remember who got you here.”

According to Front Office Sports’ Jake Kring-Schreifels, LinkedIn confirmed it is “excited to continue working with him moving forward.” The partnership details are still under wraps. But, Mendoza claimed he limits distractions by keeping only two apps on his phone: YouTube and LinkedIn. 

His large following of over 168,000 gives him the reach of a brand ambassador. But Mendoza is building a professional identity that goes beyond the gridiron, leveraging his master’s degree and internships at firms like ACRE Investment Company to prove he’s as serious about business as he is about football.

The Indiana quarterback also held a head coaching position for Next Level Sports, teaching football fundamentals to elementary students. 

Doubt creeps in for Fernando Mendoza as the No.1 pick

With a Heisman in his bag and leading Indiana to its first national championship, he has caught the No.1 pick buzz. He is the overwhelming favorite to be drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Raiders majority owner Mark Davis, minority owner Tom Brady, and GM John Spytek were all spotted on Indiana’s sideline during the national championship game. Oregon’s quarterback Dante Moore, another projected No. 1 pick, opted to stay in college for another season. This cleared the way for Mendoza.

However, sportscaster Dan Patrick made a compelling argument, and now Las Vegas might be rethinking its decision to draft Mendoza. 

“I don’t know if Fernando Mendoza is a great quarterback,” the veteran sportscaster said on the Dan Patrick Show. “I think he’s a great story, but once again, I would not draft him number one if I were the Raiders.”

All signs point to trouble up front for the Raiders. During the 2025 season, they surrendered a league-high 64 sacks and owned the NFL’s worst sack rate at 10.6%. This could put Fernando Mendoza in the crosshairs early. But he is blocking out the chatter for now, leaving everyone waiting to see what his LinkedIn deal really looks like.