While the college football world is currently focused on the transfer portal and off-season workouts, California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza is making headlines for his activity on a different kind of platform. The Cal signal-caller has fans buzzing after he was caught “shooting his shot” on Instagram with one of the most recognizable names in the NFL-adjacent influencer world: Gia Duddy.
Duddy, who rose to massive internet fame during the 2023 NFL Draft while sitting alongside her then-boyfriend Will Levis, has remained a prominent figure on social media following their high-profile breakup later that year. It appears Mendoza has taken notice of the influencer’s recent posts, as eagle-eyed fans spotted his name appearing in the “likes” section of her latest uploads.
The interaction was first highlighted by social media sleuths who noticed Mendoza wasn’t just casually browsing; he was actively engaging with several of Duddy’s more provocative lifestyle and bikini photos.
The internet reaction was swift, with fans quickly turning the interaction into a meme.
One popular conversation snippet circulating among the comments noted, “The transfer portal is officially open for the off-season, and Mendoza is looking for a blue-chip recruit.” Another fan pointed out the boldness of the move, stating, “Fernando Mendoza is apparently trying to see if he can move from the ACC to Gia Duddy’s DMs.”
Mendoza is coming off a season where he established himself as a leader for the Golden Bears, but this latest development shows he’s just as active in the “off-field” game. Duddy, who recently moved to New York City to pursue her modeling and influencer career full-time, has not publicly responded to the attention from the Cal quarterback, but the “likes” have been enough to send the rumor mill into overdrive.
For Mendoza, the move is a high-risk, high-reward play in the public eye. As one observer put it in the source article: “You can’t blame the guy for trying; he’s playing the game on and off the field.”
