Why Las Vegas Raiders-bound Fernando Mendoza is against having a girlfriend

Fernando Mendoza once explained why he avoided having a girlfriend

In an older interview shared via Instagram, Fernando Mendoza explained why he felt relationships could become a distraction during college.

“I know myself, and I know that it is such a short period of time that If I have a really, really good next two years, I can make it to the NFL and I believe, I will make it to the NFL,” Mendoza said.

He added: “However, at this point, I got to limit all distractions. I live a three-minute walk from the facility, where we have our weight room, our practice facility, and our stadium.”

Mendoza made it clear his priority was staying close to the training environment and spending as much time as possible improving his game.

For him, that meant building a routine where football remained the central focus every day.

Fernando Mendoza believed relationships would take time away from football

The quarterback also explained that his personality meant he would struggle to balance football and a relationship at the same time.

“You might find your first love in college and stuff like that, but I know that if I finish class at 6, everything I’m gonna give it my all,” Mendoza continued.

“So, if I have a girlfriend, I’m gonna give her my all and that means I’m gonna go back from 6 to 9 hanging out with her, and maybe get dinner or something rather than maybe picking up dinner on the way back from class and watch an extra film for the game week,” he concluded.

Mendoza suggested that extra hours studying film or preparing for games could ultimately make the difference in reaching the NFL.

Looking back now, the approach highlights just how seriously he viewed the narrow window to pursue a professional football career. As a result, Mendoza is viewed as the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.