MIAMI ― Fernando Mendoza sat in the front seat of the rental car on the six-hour drive from Miami to Gainesville, dialing one college coach after another. He had just finished a week-long visit to some of college football’s most elite programs in the Southeastern Conference – Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina, LSU – and Mendoza, then a high school junior quarterback, needed to convince them to put him on their roster. One after another, he called and asked the coaches if he could play for them. One after another, their answer was an unequivocal “no.” He ended each call with the corresponding cheer from that team – “Go Tigers!”, “Roll Tide!” – characteristically upbeat, despite the rejections....
