Fernando Mendoza Takes Home the Heisman Trophy as He Heads to the Rose Bowl

Mendoza Wins Heisman Trophy, Making History for Indiana

NEW YORK — Fernando Mendoza, the spirited quarterback for No. 1 Indiana, claimed the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, marking the first time a Hoosier has received college football’s highest honor since the award was established in 1935.

Mendoza garnered 2,362 points, including 643 first-place votes, outpacing Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, who finished with 1,435 points, Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love with 719 points, and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin at 432 points. He became the first player since Caleb Williams in 2022 to top all six Heisman regions. His selection on 95.16% of ballots ties him with Marcus Mariota for the second highest in the award’s history, while his 84.6% of total possible points ranks seventh all-time.

“I haven’t seen the numbers yet,” Mendoza stated. “But it’s such an honor to be mentioned with these guys [Pavia, Love, and Sayin]. It’s really a credit to our team. It’s a team award.”

This season, Mendoza led the Hoosiers to their inaugural No. 1 ranking and the top seed in the 12-team College Football bracket. He threw for 2,980 yards and a national-best 33 touchdown passes, also rushing for six scores. Indiana, the last unbeaten team in major college football, is set to play in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl on January 1.

A redshirt junior and a first-year starter after transferring from California, Mendoza has driven an offense that shattered program records for touchdowns and points following last season’s unexpected run to the College Football Playoff.

Mendoza stands as the second Heisman finalist in Indiana’s history, following 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson. He is also the seventh player from Indiana to finish in the top 10 for the Heisman ballot, marking a historic consecutive top-10 finish for the program, following Kurtis Rourke’s ninth-place finish last year.

Reflecting on his season, Mendoza recalled a moment after the Hoosiers’ commanding 63-10 victory over then-No. 19 Illinois on September 20. “At that point my boys [teammates] said we might make it to New York [for the award ceremony]. It was lighthearted at the time, but that’s when it started,” he noted.

Quarterbacks have dominated the Heisman candidacy, winning four of the last five awards, interrupted only by two-way player Travis Hunter from Colorado last season.

Mendoza becomes the 43rd quarterback to win the Heisman and is the second recipient of Latin American descent, following Jim Plunkett from Stanford, who won it in 1970. “Although I grew up in America, my four grandparents are all from Cuba. I had the opportunity to go there and that was important to me. I credit the love to my grandparents and the Hispanic community,” he said.

Prior to the Heisman ceremony, Mendoza had already received significant accolades, including being named the Associated Press Player of the Year and earning the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards. In contrast, Jeremiyah Love secured the Doak Walker Award.

This year’s Heisman race also highlighted the evolving landscape of college football, as Mendoza is the seventh transfer to win the award in the last nine years. Pavia, now at Vanderbilt, is in his third school since leaving high school.

Pavia Shines for Vanderbilt

Pavia finished second in the voting, amassing 189 first-place votes. He set a school record with 3,192 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, leading Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season, including six victories against Southeastern Conference teams. He is the first Heisman finalist in Vanderbilt’s history.

Listed at 6 feet tall, Pavia transformed from an unrecruited high school player to attending junior college and eventually joining Vanderbilt through the transfer portal. The Commodores are scheduled to compete in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Iowa on December 31.

Love’s Strong Season at Notre Dame

Jeremiyah Love, the last running back to contend for the Heisman, had an impressive season, finishing with 46 first-place votes. The junior from St. Louis rushed for 1,372 yards, placing fourth nationally, with an average of 114.3 yards per game and 18 rushing touchdowns. Despite Notre Dame missing the College Football Playoff, he established significant records, including having multiple touchdown runs over 90 yards.

Sayin Leads Ohio State

Julian Sayin led Ohio State to a majority of the season’s top rankings, passing for 3,329 yards and tying for second nationally with 31 touchdown passes. The sophomore from Carlsbad, California, originally committed to Alabama before transferring. He helped the Buckeyes keep the AP Top 25 ranking for 13 consecutive weeks, their second-longest stretch since 2017.

This year’s Heisman awards reshaped the narrative around college football’s top players, showcasing their exceptional talent and resilience in a competitive landscape.