‘ Heisman Trophy favorite Fernando Mendoza was a redshirt freshman and Cal’s third-string quarterback at the start of the 2023 season when he walked into the office of tight ends coach Tim Plough.

“Would you be willing to meet with me?” Mendoza asked. “Would you be willing to teach me the offense and talk to me about quarterback play, go through the game plan with me?”

Mendoza knew that Plough had spent virtually the entirety of his career as an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach.


“He has this insatiable desire to be a great player. And when you’re the third-string guy, you’re not getting a lot of one-on-one time with the quarterback coach or the OC,” Plough said this week. “So he was kind of looking for some guidance, some mentorship.”

Thus began what tutor and pupil labeled the Midnight Meetings. For the rest of the season, Mendoza arrived at Plough’s office nightly at 9 p.m. and the two spent as many as three hours watching film, talking fundamentals and mechanics of the position and studying that week’s game plan.

Even though Mendoza had no shot yet at getting onto the field.’

Very cool story. He had a big smile on his face at one of the lunches when someone mentioned Mendoza was named the starting qb at Cal.

Who works with our third string QBs ? There are several coaches who have been passing game coordinators or qbs on the staff, but Plough is too busy and the OC doesn’t have much background as a QB or QB coach.

AI Overview: "Coach Tim Plough and Fernando Mendoza have a strong player-coach relationship, with Plough praising Mendoza's intelligence and leadership while coaching him at Cal, and then staying on temporarily when Plough became UC Davis Head Coach to help Mendoza finish his season before Mendoza's eventual Heisman Trophy run, showcasing Plough's impact on Mendoza's development and their mutual respect.

"Plough recognized Mendoza's "rage to master" the position and leadership qualities, making him feel like a great teammate."

"In essence, Plough was a key mentor for Mendoza during a crucial stage in his career at Cal, and Mendoza's success, including his Heisman buzz, reflects well on Plough's coaching impact."

Tim Plough has elevated our reputation as QBU. A young QB looking to grow and develop could find no better place to be than right here at UCD under Plough's guidance.

Excellent point, should be a bonus for the recruiting trail.

that's how it oughta be. Coaches can switch teams but I prefer how Plough did it. I like that Tosh at Cal is still coaching the Ducks but recruiting non Oregon players. This is a better approach and fair to both teams.