December 9, 2025 • 11 mins
Fernando Mendoza’s high school football coach Dave Dunn joins us to discuss Mendoza’s climb to a Heisman contender, what he saw early on, his impressions of how his skills have improved since high school, his recruitment, his mentality, his family, his emotions if he wins the Heisman & more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, he is a sensation in college football, no question
about that. Fernando Mendoza is one of four players to
know have been invited to New York City for this
Saturday's Heisman Trophy ceremony. He has done amazing things in
his year at Indiana, leading them to an undefeated season
of birth in the College Football Playoff and man, we
are dying to know more about this young man and
(00:22):
it seems like just a really cool kid too. Dave Dunn,
his high school football coach over at Christopher Columbus High
School in Miami, joined us now on the Payless Liquors
Hotline to talk a little bit more about this young
man and we're hungry coach, to find out everything we
can about him.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Good morning, and welcome to the program.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
We appreciate you being here, but it's got to be
almost surreal to have a kid that you coached in
high school going to New York to maybe get the
Heisman Trophy this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Huh, it really is, guys, Thanks for having me on.
He's just a tremendous young man, so watching him have
the success he's had at IU, it has been amazing
for everybody down here in Miami and especially Christopher Cole
was high school.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
And that's Dave done the coach as he said at
Christopher Columbus High School, and Dave Kevin Bowen here, I
appreciate you responding and joining us on this Tuesday morning.
Let's go back to the first time for Nano Mendoza,
got I would say, probably accurately thrust into a game
for you down there. I know you've told the story before,
but for an audience it hasn't heard it. It's it's
quite the story.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
He was. He was injured and didn't practice the whole week,
and it kind of cleared him right before the game.
And I told his dad right before the game. He said, hey, listen,
you don't have to worry. We're not going to put
him in, so don't worry about it. Well, our quarterback
got knocked out with about a minute to go into game,
and his uh came in off the bench and his
first pass he threw was for a touchdown, which basically,
(01:45):
you know, put us in position to win the game.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
So that is what year was this for for Fernando.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
It was a sophomore year and his dad just shook
his head as we're walking off the field, and said,
I thought you said he wasn't going to play. So
he literally he made a statement on his first pass
ever thrown in high school.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And coaches there a little more, what wasn't there maybe
a miss kick that led to all of a sudden
you need him to do it again, and Mendoza got
you into kicking range again for potentially the win.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, so we ended up it's made it score twenty
eight to twenty seven. We missed the extra point, went
through an on side kick, and we had about fourteen
seconds left with no timeouts, and so Fernando threw a
deep en route that got us in the field goal range,
went up and spiked the ball. We missed a field goal,
So it would have been a much better story if
we made either of the two kicks. But he did
(02:35):
his part, and then Sam at the end of the.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
Game there I was gonna say, you sound like an
Ohio State fand this past weekend, and it just made
the kick. But obviously I you and your former quarterback
played spoilers and they have been on a remarkable run,
probably one of the greatest stories in all of college
sports history. So coach for you, when did you perhaps
realize that Fernando could play at this level. And I
(02:59):
say that because every coach is going to be high
on their starting quarterback and a high character kid. But
did you see some NFL talent in him early on?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
His first start came that next week because we still
have the same injury at quarterback and we played against
Coral Gables High School, was in one of our rivals
down here, and he legitimately went like eighteen of twenty
three with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and just at an
unreal job of guiding our offense and not making mistake
and being composed, so all the things you see him do,
(03:31):
Like on Saturday night versus Ohio State, I go disclaimer,
by the way, I was born in ann Arbor, Michigan,
So not only was I my favorite team each week
now is IU and then whoever's playing Ohio State. So
it was really good for me to see that. But
just a composer he had in his first started and
he was like fifteen years old, I'm like, he's and
(03:53):
he was a big kid. He was kind of skinnier
at that point, but I'm like, if he fills out,
he's gonna have a shot. That's crazy stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
So when you're watching that game this Saturday and the
game is kind of on the line, and they go
for it on third and long to try to put
the game away, and he throws that great pass to
to Becker that what what are you thinking when he
just steps up in the biggest moment of the season
and he delivers a big strike there with the game
on the line.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I just had a film they were going to have
to throw the ball at that obviously that situation, because
like coach Signetti said, I started looking at the clock,
I'm like, they need two more first outs, you know,
to put it away. So you have to throw it here.
You can't. You just can't play and hope that you're
going to take another twenty five seconds off the clock
and then and then punt it. So I knew he
had to make a throw. And I think, you know,
Charlie had such a great game, you know, the entire night,
(04:42):
so that that was the guy to go to at
that point. I think they like the matchup. He put
the ball in an unbelievable spot and that pretty much
ice the game for him.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Again, That's Dave Done, the high school coach of Fernando
Mendosi's with to see on the Payloss Lookers hotline on
this Tuesday morning. Coach, I know his high school recruitment,
you know that overlapped a little bit with COVID, so
you know potentially that impacted some things. But how would
you compare maybe the lack of interest from a high
school recruitment standpoint to what the portal recruitment was like
(05:10):
for him this time last year?
Speaker 2 (05:13):
It was night and day just because we couldn't. His
junior year was COVID and he was unreal. In his
junior year, we had a really good team. We were undefeated,
were champions. At the end of the year. We literally,
I think we played we only trailed one quarter the
whole year. We were a very dominant team. That was
the fourth quarter of the championship game and we we
(05:34):
actually for an end of an interception for a touchdown
and which that's how we gave up the lead. And
I just looked at him and I said, hey, listen,
you got to fix this. And he went down against
Deerfield Beach and led us to a game winning touchdown.
So he played unreal that year and just we couldn't
and he didn't get to go to any camps because
of COVID, and so it was kind of a We're
trying to show everybody in his senior year, which we
(05:56):
just weren't as good around him as senior year, how
good of a player he was. And I was a
Division IE recruiting coordinator at one point in my career,
so I had a lot of people in college coaching
that I was begging that I should. He's you never say,
can't miss I go, but he's pretty darn close. And
it was very it was frush. He handled it probably
way better than I did. It was very frustrating for him,
(06:18):
but it was he never showed it. It had to be.
But and then when when it came to you know,
when I watched him play at col and I actually
got to go to his best game. I saw him
play against wake Forest last year. I'm like, if he
enters the portal, I go. He's gonna have a ton
of options.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
At this point, again, we have Dave Dunn on the line,
the high school coach of Fernando Mendoza, coach one that
I'm curious about. When it comes to Fernando, and I
say this in endearing fashion, the Hoosias are flipping champions
and I'm not you know, editing that for radio. He
says that, and it's so wholesome. So personality wise, how
(06:56):
have you seen him balance being We've joked about it
here in the station, like the uh like the college
t a versus being a dog and going out there
and competing at the highest level.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
You deep down, he's he's a killer, and that's what
you have to know when when he steps on the field.
He's got a different mindset than than than people would
perceive him to have. He's just the nicest kid off
the field. Like I've said this to several times in
all the interviews I've been you know, I've done over
the last few weeks. Based on his notoriety, is that
(07:29):
he's the type of young man you want to marry
your daughter. But on field stone cold killer. And that's
what I love about him is that you know he
can literally he'll be successful in whatever he does. His
demeanor off the field is driven, but he's such a
nice young man. And people, like everyone keeps asking me,
They're like, is that how he really is? That's him? Go,
that's how he is. Some people think that you know,
(07:51):
he's putting on an act. For the interviews. That's he's
always been that way.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
That's how he is, Cause you haven't any conversation with
I don't know any high school coach. I feel like
in this day and age, it's quickly met with, you know,
maybe some of the challenges, and you know, certainly there
are some parents that are uber supportive and then you
can have times where it can be challenging on that
front to deal with all of it. What would you
(08:15):
say about Fernando's parents? Obviously his brother, of course, we've
seen this story his mom dealing with MS. You know,
it's been pretty well well documented. But what was high
school life like with the Mendoza parents.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
They were unbelieved because the dad played offensive line at
Columbus High School. So the dad's a football guy and
he he was put I always say this to everybody
I go. When it came to coaching the Mendozes, Alberto
and Fernando, between me and his dad, it was bad cop,
bad cop. We were both really hard on him. There
was no good cop else of the mom might have
been the good cop. And the only feedback she ever
(08:51):
gave me was when we called too many design run plays.
She would tell me don't have him run the ball
so much. They literally let me coach their boys, which
was awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Uh, it's fantastic. It's great to learn about him. And
and Kevin mentioned Alberta too. How is Alberto as a
quarterback long term?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
You know what he's they're different and and he's he's
an unbelievable competitor. And he oh, he plays with you know,
people say, oh, you know, Fernando plays with a chip
on the shoulder. I go, If that's the case, then
Alberto plays with a two by four in his shoulder.
He's very, very confident in his ability. He's he's an
absolute killer as a competitor, just like just like Fernando.
(09:36):
But I but I didn't think it's probably he takes
it up a few notches. It's I'm excited for his future.
I've enjoyed, you know. And and Alberta will will remind
Fernando all the time Alberto never lost a playoff game
Maclaumbus High School. They were back to that, we were
back to back state champions when Alberta was the quarterback.
And he reminds Fernando that all the time. So it's
(09:56):
I'm excited for for his future at IU and I
think he's just gonna be able to carry on of
Mendoza legacy going forward.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Coach last One, we greatly appreciate your time here on
this Tuesday morning. Again, Da've done with us here, Christopher
Columbus High School, the head coach of the Mendoza brothers
back in high school. Have you thought what Saturday night
will be like for you? I believe for Nando Mendoza
will be hoisting that Heisman Trophy. It will be a
speech for the ages. Have you thought at all about
(10:22):
what your emotions will be come Saturday night?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Well, I'm going up, so I'm pretty excited for it.
You know, I'm not a betting guy, but I would
bet my house on the fact that he's gonna he's
gonna win the award. And I just I look at
a young man who's just put so much work into
his craft and being a great quarterback and watching him
have the success at I you and win this award,
(10:47):
and I share the sentiments of Coach Signetti Is. I
truly believe it's a team award. He would not be
able to do this without the great teammates he's in
coaching staff. He's had at Iu. I just think it's
just it's it's the culmination of of of uh, you know,
twenty three years of hard work or twenty I think
he's twenty one, twenty one years of hard work, and
(11:08):
it's gonna be, it's gonna be it's gonna be real
special for me to watch him hoist the trophy.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Coach, thank you again for your time this morning.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
You can hear the excitement in your voice, and Uh,
it's gotta be a lot of fun to be around
that family and that kid and and have fun in
New York this weekend, my friend.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Thanks guys, thanks for having me on
Well, he is a sensation in college football, no question
about that. Fernando Mendoza is one of four players to
know have been invited to New York City for this
Saturday's Heisman Trophy ceremony. He has done amazing things in
his year at Indiana, leading them to an undefeated season
of birth in the College Football Playoff and man, we
are dying to know more about this young man and
(00:22):
it seems like just a really cool kid too. Dave Dunn,
his high school football coach over at Christopher Columbus High
School in Miami, joined us now on the Payless Liquors
Hotline to talk a little bit more about this young
man and we're hungry coach, to find out everything we
can about him.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Good morning, and welcome to the program.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
We appreciate you being here, but it's got to be
almost surreal to have a kid that you coached in
high school going to New York to maybe get the
Heisman Trophy this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Huh, it really is, guys, Thanks for having me on.
He's just a tremendous young man, so watching him have
the success he's had at IU, it has been amazing
for everybody down here in Miami and especially Christopher Cole
was high school.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
And that's Dave done the coach as he said at
Christopher Columbus High School, and Dave Kevin Bowen here, I
appreciate you responding and joining us on this Tuesday morning.
Let's go back to the first time for Nano Mendoza,
got I would say, probably accurately thrust into a game
for you down there. I know you've told the story before,
but for an audience it hasn't heard it. It's it's
quite the story.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
He was. He was injured and didn't practice the whole week,
and it kind of cleared him right before the game.
And I told his dad right before the game. He said, hey, listen,
you don't have to worry. We're not going to put
him in, so don't worry about it. Well, our quarterback
got knocked out with about a minute to go into game,
and his uh came in off the bench and his
first pass he threw was for a touchdown, which basically,
(01:45):
you know, put us in position to win the game.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
So that is what year was this for for Fernando.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
It was a sophomore year and his dad just shook
his head as we're walking off the field, and said,
I thought you said he wasn't going to play. So
he literally he made a statement on his first pass
ever thrown in high school.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And coaches there a little more, what wasn't there maybe
a miss kick that led to all of a sudden
you need him to do it again, and Mendoza got
you into kicking range again for potentially the win.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, so we ended up it's made it score twenty
eight to twenty seven. We missed the extra point, went
through an on side kick, and we had about fourteen
seconds left with no timeouts, and so Fernando threw a
deep en route that got us in the field goal range,
went up and spiked the ball. We missed a field goal,
So it would have been a much better story if
we made either of the two kicks. But he did
(02:35):
his part, and then Sam at the end of the.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
Game there I was gonna say, you sound like an
Ohio State fand this past weekend, and it just made
the kick. But obviously I you and your former quarterback
played spoilers and they have been on a remarkable run,
probably one of the greatest stories in all of college
sports history. So coach for you, when did you perhaps
realize that Fernando could play at this level. And I
(02:59):
say that because every coach is going to be high
on their starting quarterback and a high character kid. But
did you see some NFL talent in him early on?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
His first start came that next week because we still
have the same injury at quarterback and we played against
Coral Gables High School, was in one of our rivals
down here, and he legitimately went like eighteen of twenty
three with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and just at an
unreal job of guiding our offense and not making mistake
and being composed, so all the things you see him do,
(03:31):
Like on Saturday night versus Ohio State, I go disclaimer,
by the way, I was born in ann Arbor, Michigan,
So not only was I my favorite team each week
now is IU and then whoever's playing Ohio State. So
it was really good for me to see that. But
just a composer he had in his first started and
he was like fifteen years old, I'm like, he's and
(03:53):
he was a big kid. He was kind of skinnier
at that point, but I'm like, if he fills out,
he's gonna have a shot. That's crazy stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
So when you're watching that game this Saturday and the
game is kind of on the line, and they go
for it on third and long to try to put
the game away, and he throws that great pass to
to Becker that what what are you thinking when he
just steps up in the biggest moment of the season
and he delivers a big strike there with the game
on the line.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I just had a film they were going to have
to throw the ball at that obviously that situation, because
like coach Signetti said, I started looking at the clock,
I'm like, they need two more first outs, you know,
to put it away. So you have to throw it here.
You can't. You just can't play and hope that you're
going to take another twenty five seconds off the clock
and then and then punt it. So I knew he
had to make a throw. And I think, you know,
Charlie had such a great game, you know, the entire night,
(04:42):
so that that was the guy to go to at
that point. I think they like the matchup. He put
the ball in an unbelievable spot and that pretty much
ice the game for him.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Again, That's Dave Done, the high school coach of Fernando
Mendosi's with to see on the Payloss Lookers hotline on
this Tuesday morning. Coach, I know his high school recruitment,
you know that overlapped a little bit with COVID, so
you know potentially that impacted some things. But how would
you compare maybe the lack of interest from a high
school recruitment standpoint to what the portal recruitment was like
(05:10):
for him this time last year?
Speaker 2 (05:13):
It was night and day just because we couldn't. His
junior year was COVID and he was unreal. In his
junior year, we had a really good team. We were undefeated,
were champions. At the end of the year. We literally,
I think we played we only trailed one quarter the
whole year. We were a very dominant team. That was
the fourth quarter of the championship game and we we
(05:34):
actually for an end of an interception for a touchdown
and which that's how we gave up the lead. And
I just looked at him and I said, hey, listen,
you got to fix this. And he went down against
Deerfield Beach and led us to a game winning touchdown.
So he played unreal that year and just we couldn't
and he didn't get to go to any camps because
of COVID, and so it was kind of a We're
trying to show everybody in his senior year, which we
(05:56):
just weren't as good around him as senior year, how
good of a player he was. And I was a
Division IE recruiting coordinator at one point in my career,
so I had a lot of people in college coaching
that I was begging that I should. He's you never say,
can't miss I go, but he's pretty darn close. And
it was very it was frush. He handled it probably
way better than I did. It was very frustrating for him,
(06:18):
but it was he never showed it. It had to be.
But and then when when it came to you know,
when I watched him play at col and I actually
got to go to his best game. I saw him
play against wake Forest last year. I'm like, if he
enters the portal, I go. He's gonna have a ton
of options.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
At this point, again, we have Dave Dunn on the line,
the high school coach of Fernando Mendoza, coach one that
I'm curious about. When it comes to Fernando, and I
say this in endearing fashion, the Hoosias are flipping champions
and I'm not you know, editing that for radio. He
says that, and it's so wholesome. So personality wise, how
(06:56):
have you seen him balance being We've joked about it
here in the station, like the uh like the college
t a versus being a dog and going out there
and competing at the highest level.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
You deep down, he's he's a killer, and that's what
you have to know when when he steps on the field.
He's got a different mindset than than than people would
perceive him to have. He's just the nicest kid off
the field. Like I've said this to several times in
all the interviews I've been you know, I've done over
the last few weeks. Based on his notoriety, is that
(07:29):
he's the type of young man you want to marry
your daughter. But on field stone cold killer. And that's
what I love about him is that you know he
can literally he'll be successful in whatever he does. His
demeanor off the field is driven, but he's such a
nice young man. And people, like everyone keeps asking me,
They're like, is that how he really is? That's him? Go,
that's how he is. Some people think that you know,
(07:51):
he's putting on an act. For the interviews. That's he's
always been that way.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
That's how he is, Cause you haven't any conversation with
I don't know any high school coach. I feel like
in this day and age, it's quickly met with, you know,
maybe some of the challenges, and you know, certainly there
are some parents that are uber supportive and then you
can have times where it can be challenging on that
front to deal with all of it. What would you
(08:15):
say about Fernando's parents? Obviously his brother, of course, we've
seen this story his mom dealing with MS. You know,
it's been pretty well well documented. But what was high
school life like with the Mendoza parents.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
They were unbelieved because the dad played offensive line at
Columbus High School. So the dad's a football guy and
he he was put I always say this to everybody
I go. When it came to coaching the Mendozes, Alberto
and Fernando, between me and his dad, it was bad cop,
bad cop. We were both really hard on him. There
was no good cop else of the mom might have
been the good cop. And the only feedback she ever
(08:51):
gave me was when we called too many design run plays.
She would tell me don't have him run the ball
so much. They literally let me coach their boys, which
was awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Uh, it's fantastic. It's great to learn about him. And
and Kevin mentioned Alberta too. How is Alberto as a
quarterback long term?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
You know what he's they're different and and he's he's
an unbelievable competitor. And he oh, he plays with you know,
people say, oh, you know, Fernando plays with a chip
on the shoulder. I go, If that's the case, then
Alberto plays with a two by four in his shoulder.
He's very, very confident in his ability. He's he's an
absolute killer as a competitor, just like just like Fernando.
(09:36):
But I but I didn't think it's probably he takes
it up a few notches. It's I'm excited for his future.
I've enjoyed, you know. And and Alberta will will remind
Fernando all the time Alberto never lost a playoff game
Maclaumbus High School. They were back to that, we were
back to back state champions when Alberta was the quarterback.
And he reminds Fernando that all the time. So it's
(09:56):
I'm excited for for his future at IU and I
think he's just gonna be able to carry on of
Mendoza legacy going forward.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Coach last One, we greatly appreciate your time here on
this Tuesday morning. Again, Da've done with us here, Christopher
Columbus High School, the head coach of the Mendoza brothers
back in high school. Have you thought what Saturday night
will be like for you? I believe for Nando Mendoza
will be hoisting that Heisman Trophy. It will be a
speech for the ages. Have you thought at all about
(10:22):
what your emotions will be come Saturday night?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Well, I'm going up, so I'm pretty excited for it.
You know, I'm not a betting guy, but I would
bet my house on the fact that he's gonna he's
gonna win the award. And I just I look at
a young man who's just put so much work into
his craft and being a great quarterback and watching him
have the success at I you and win this award,
(10:47):
and I share the sentiments of Coach Signetti Is. I
truly believe it's a team award. He would not be
able to do this without the great teammates he's in
coaching staff. He's had at Iu. I just think it's
just it's it's the culmination of of of uh, you know,
twenty three years of hard work or twenty I think
he's twenty one, twenty one years of hard work, and
(11:08):
it's gonna be, it's gonna be it's gonna be real
special for me to watch him hoist the trophy.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Coach, thank you again for your time this morning.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
You can hear the excitement in your voice, and Uh,
it's gotta be a lot of fun to be around
that family and that kid and and have fun in
New York this weekend, my friend.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Thanks guys, thanks for having me on
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