NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Fernando Mendoza responded to a question Saturday of whether he will visit President Donald Trump at the White House to celebrate the Indiana Hoosiers’ historic college football championship.
Mendoza said that he “believed” the scheduled date of the visit, May 11, was the first day of the Las Vegas Raiders’ organized team activities (OTAs). But he was incorrect, as the Raiders’ OTAs don’t start until May 18.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, attends a news conference at the Raiders Headquarters in Henderson, Nev., on April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“If it is on the first day of OTAs, like I said, I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here, I got to prove myself, I can’t miss practice,” Mendoza told reporters at a Raiders press conference on Saturday. “As a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look. I want to try to best serve my teammates, and I don’t think that would be accomplishing that goal.”
The Raiders don’t have anything in their offseason program scheduled for May 11.
INDIANA’S FERNANDO MENDOZA WINS 2025 HEISMAN TROPHY
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza looks on during warmups before the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 19, 2026. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
Mendoza led Indiana to the college football championship and the first 16-0 season in the modern history of the sport. The team announced it was visiting the White House to celebrate the accomplishment on Friday.
Mendoza became one of the biggest names in the sport during his heroics for Indiana last season, en route to the Heisman Trophy. He was the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
President Donald Trump hosts NCAA collegiate national champions at the White House in this April 2026 photo. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The other college football champions who went on to be the No. 1 overall picks, Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow, each visited Trump at the White House in the president’s first term. Lawrence visited in 2019 and Burrow went in 2020.
Now, all eyes turn to Mendoza, who etched his name in college football history and the hearts of many football fans, to see if he will make the trip once realizing that OTAs are not on the same day as the visit.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.