Fernando Mendoza Wins 2025 Heisman Trophy, First for Indiana Since 1935
Fernando Mendoza won the 2025 Heisman Trophy, becoming Indiana's first winner since the award's inception in 1935. He received 2,362 points with 643 first-place votes, far ahead of runner-ups Diego Pavia with 1,435 points, Jeremiyah Love with 719, and Julian Sayin with 432. Mendoza finished first in all six Heisman regions and was named on 95.16% of ballots, marking the second-highest percentage in Heisman history. He collected 84.6% of the total possible points, the seventh-highest ever.
Mendoza, a redshirt junior and Indiana’s first-year starter after transferring from California, threw for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdown passes, while rushing for six more. He is Indiana’s second Heisman finalist, following 1989’s Anthony Thompson, and the second winner of Latin American descent, with all four of his grandparents being from Cuba.
In addition to the Heisman, Mendoza won the AP Player of the Year, the Maxwell Award, and the Davey O'Brien Award. Jeremiyah Love was awarded the Doak Walker Award. Mendoza is the seventh transfer player to win the Heisman in the last nine years, highlighting the increasing impact of transfers in college football. Diego Pavia has attended three colleges.
Indiana earned the No. 1 ranking and the top seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) bracket. The Hoosiers are scheduled to play a Rose Bowl CFP quarter-final game on January 1.
