Fernando Mendoza Wins 2025 Heisman Trophy Over Diego Pavia
Fernando Mendoza secured the 2025 Heisman Trophy after leading the Indiana Hoosiers to the Big Ten Championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Mendoza received 643 first-place votes, significantly outpacing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who earned 189 votes and finished as the runner-up.
Mendoza completed the season with 33 passing touchdowns, 2,980 passing yards, six interceptions over 13 games, and contributed six rushing touchdowns on 69 attempts. Pavia, in his second year at Vanderbilt after transferring from New Mexico State, finished with 27 passing touchdowns, 3,192 passing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 826 rushing yards on 152 carries, and a 71.2% completion rate. Vanderbilt finished the season 10-2 and ranked No. 14 nationally.
Following the ceremony, Pavia expressed frustration with Heisman voters in an Instagram Stories post, which included disparaging language. He later issued an apology on X approximately 24 hours after the event. Pavia indicated his plans to compete in the upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl with his team and family despite the Heisman outcome.
