The LinkedIn Grind Pays Off: Former Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza Officially Partners With The Platform
The former Indiana quarterback's endearingly serious LinkedIn posts went viral after the national title game.
Two things Fernando Mendoza takes very seriously: football and his LinkedIn profile. And now, he's going to get paid for it.
Well, he was already getting paid for the football part.
Following Indiana's historic national championship run, the former Hoosiers quarterback has officially entered into a partnership with LinkedIn.
"As of last week, we’re working with Fernando in a more integrated capacity," LinkedIn confirmed to Front Office Sports on Tuesday. "We’re excited to continue working with him moving forward."
(Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The deal comes after Mendoza led the Hoosiers to the program's first-ever national championship, capping an undefeated season with a 27–21 win over Miami. The very next day, in endearingly dorky fashion, Mendoza updated his LinkedIn profile. And the post went viral.
"With the guidance of our coaches and the unwavering support of Hoosier Nation, our band of brothers made the unbelievable believable," Mendoza wrote. "Here’s what winning a National Championship taught me about B2B sales (kidding…kinda)…."
At least he's self-aware.
This update was far from a one-off, by the way.
Mendoza has made a habit of updating his profile in real time, including after winning the Heisman Trophy and after declaring for the NFL Draft. At one point, the projected No. 1 overall pick even swapped his profile photo to one featuring LinkedIn's "Open to Work" banner — a move that might come back to haunt him if things don't go well during his rookie NFL season.
With 167,000 followers on the platform, Mendoza is about as big a star as a person can be on LinkedIn. In fact, outside of YouTube, it's the only social app he keeps on his phone. He says that's to avoid distractions.
"[It] has really helped put things in perspective," Mendoza told reporters earlier this month. "I’m not online reading, ‘Oh, Fernando’s great. Fernando sucks.’"
In addition to "student-athlete at Indiana University," Mendoza's LinkedIn profile lists internships at ACRE Investment Company and Newmark, as well as his role as a head coach with Next Level Sports.
"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 wrote in his LinkedIn bio. "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."
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh on April 23. We're counting on a LinkedIn update that very same night.