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Last week, Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers to the program’s first ever national championship, capping an undefeated season with a 27-21 victory over Miami. The next day, he broke down the team’s magical run on LinkedIn.
“With the guidance of our coaches and the unwavering support of Hoosier Nation, our band of brothers made the unbelievable believable,” he wrote in a post on his profile. “Here’s what winning a National Championship taught me about B2B sales (kidding…kinda)…”
The mostly earnest post quickly paid dividends. In the wake of Mendoza’s spike in popularity and engagement, LinkedIn confirmed to Front Office Sports that “as of last week, we’re working with Fernando in a more integrated capacity. We’re excited to continue working with him moving forward.”
LinkedIn added: “Fernando’s a great example of how athletes are using LinkedIn in thoughtful ways. We’re currently in discussions with him and while we’re just getting the ball rolling, why wouldn’t we want him on our team?”
With 167,000 followers, Mendoza is a natural brand ambassador for the professional networking platform. Outside of YouTube, it’s the only social app on his phone, a choice he says has helped him tune out outside noise.
“[It] has really helped put things in perspective,” he told reporters earlier this month. “I’m not online reading, ‘Oh, Fernando’s great. Fernando sucks.’”
In December, after a standout season in which he threw for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns while adding six scores on the ground, Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy. The 22-year-old marked the achievement by updating the “Honors and Awards” section of his LinkedIn profile. After recently declaring for the NFL Draft, the projected first-overall pick swapped his profile photo to one featuring the platform’s “Open to Work” banner graphic—a move that garnered outsize social media attention.
But Mendoza, who will soon graduate with a master’s degree in business administration and management, has found value on LinkedIn beyond tongue-in-cheek updates. His resume includes an internship at ACRE Investment Company and commercial real estate advisor Newmark, as well as a head coaching position for Next Level Sports, teaching football fundamentals to elementary students.
“As a quarterback for Indiana Football, I apply a strong foundation in leadership, time management, and communication to excel both on and off the field,” Mendoza writes under his profile’s About section. “I’m passionate about leveraging my background in business, real estate, and finance to build a career that combines strategic thinking, teamwork, and community impact.”
His next LinkedIn update figures to be an even bigger one: adding an NFL team to his work experience.
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