Associated Press
Dec. 13, 2025
NEW YORK — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza captured the Heisman Trophy Saturday night, the first player from the Hoosiers to win college football’s top individual honor since the award began in 1935.
Mendoza finished with 2,362 points and received 643 first-place votes, well ahead of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (1,435 points), Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (719) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (432).
The redshirt junior has been the driving force behind Indiana’s historic season. Mendoza has thrown for 2,980 yards and a nation-leading 33 touchdown passes while adding six rushing TDs, helping the Hoosiers earn their first No. 1 ranking and the top seed in the 12-team College Football bracket. Indiana, the last unbeaten team in the FBS, will play in a CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
A transfer from California and Indiana’s first-year starter, Mendoza has anchored an offense that set program records for points and touchdowns following last season’s surprising run to the playoff. He is only the second Heisman finalist in school history (Anthony Thompson was the runner-up in 1989), the seventh Indiana player to finish in the top 10, and the first Hoosier to win the trophy. Last season’s top-10 finisher Kurtis Rourke also finished ninth, giving the program back-to-back top-10 placements for the first time.
Mendoza said the honor reflected the team’s work. He called the recognition a privilege and insisted the award belonged to his teammates and to Hoosier Nation.
The Heisman capped a week of major honors for Mendoza. He was also named The Associated Press Player of the Year and took home the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards Friday night.
The other finalists each had standout seasons. Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia set a Commodores single-season record with 3,192 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes while guiding Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season and six SEC victories, including four over ranked opponents. Vanderbilt climbed to No. 9 in the AP poll, its highest ranking since 1937. Pavia, a graduate student from Albuquerque, is the first Heisman finalist in school history. He transferred to Vanderbilt after stops at junior college and New Mexico State and played this season under a preliminary injunction as he pursues an NCAA eligibility challenge. Vanderbilt will meet Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31.
Ohio State’s Julian Sayin led the Buckeyes for much of the season, throwing for 3,329 yards and tying for second nationally with 31 touchdown passes. The sophomore from Carlsbad, California, moved to Ohio State after an initial commitment to Alabama and a portal transfer following a coaching change. Sayin had three games this season with at least 300 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion percentage of 80 or higher — a combination last matched by Geno Smith in 2012. Ohio State plays a CFP quarterfinal in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.
Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love emerged as one of the nation’s premier rushers, finishing fourth in the FBS with 1,372 rushing yards, averaging 114.3 yards per game (fifth nationally) and scoring 18 rushing touchdowns (third). Love became the first player in Notre Dame history to record multiple runs of 90 yards or longer — a 98-yarder in last year’s playoffs against Indiana and a 94-yarder this season against Boston College. His power, balance and ability to break tackles were hallmarks of the Irish attack, and he complemented running back Jadarian Price in a backfield that supported first-year starter C.J. Carr. Love won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back.
Mendoza’s victory marks a milestone for Indiana football as the Hoosiers celebrate their first Heisman winner amid a season that has elevated the program to national prominence.
