Raiders' No 1 pick Fernando Mendoza surprises Cal's MBA commencement by walking the stage for undergrad degree

Robert Griffin III joins Colin Cowherd to discuss the Las Vegas Raiders’ potential with Fernando Mendoza, the Chicago Bears’ draft class, and if Arch Manning and the 2027 NFL Draft class will live up to the hype.

Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, took time away from the Las Vegas Raiders to turn his tassel, and perhaps, show off his arm by flinging his cap in a graduation ceremony this weekend.

But it wasn’t at Indiana’s commencement ceremony – he went back to Cal.

Mendoza, who missed a White House visit with his Hoosiers teammates earlier this month to focus on his time with his new NFL squad, was a part of Cal’s MBA commencement ceremony on Saturday after previously missing their undergraduate ceremony this past Wednesday.

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Fernando Mendoza looks to pass during the Las Vegas Raiders rookie minicamp at the team's headquarters in Henderson, Nev., on May 2, 2026. (David Becker/Getty Images)

Once again, Mendoza didn’t want to leave his Raiders teammates, but Jenny Chatman, dean of the Haas School of Business at Cal, made an exception for the man who completed his degree at Cal.

During the ceremony, Chatman paused to share the surprise that Mendoza would be able to walk the stage for his undergraduate degree.

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"We have one Haas undergraduate student who couldn’t make it to commencement on Wednesday. So, I hope you don’t mind I invited this person to our MBA commencement," Chatman told the crowd. "He actually had a really good excuse for missing commencement. He used his Haas skills and coursework to negotiate an excellent job and an