Fernando Mendoza is your 2025 Heiman Trophy winner.
Mendoza, a junior transfer from Cal who went from next-to-no notoriety to becoming almost a household name as the season progressed, beat out Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love for college football’s most prestigious individual award.
Pavia finished second in the voting, Love finished third, and Julian Sayin finished fourth.
Mendoza’s win is significant, not just for himself but also for his school. He is the first Indiana Hoosier ever to win the Heisman, and he’s the first even to be nominated since Anthony Thompson in 1989.
The historic Heisman win caps off what was a landmark season for the Hoosiers. Indiana won its first Big Ten title since 1958 with a shocking three-point victory over the previously undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes.
The undefeated season and conference championship landed the Hoosiers with the #1 spot in the final College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings.
“Mendoza finished the season sixth nationally in completion percentage (71.5%), second in yards per attempt (9.4) and passer rating (181.4), and led the nation in touchdown passes (33), while only throwing six interceptions. He added 240 yards and six touchdowns on the ground,” Sports Illustrated reports.
Not especially gaudy numbers for a Heisman Trophy winner, or even a finalist. However, guiding his team to the #1 spot and finishing the season as the sole undefeated FBS team likely helped his cause.
Of course, Mendoza also made many fans with his stirring post-game interview, in which he praised God and his teammates in a heartfelt speech.
Media pundits appeared to be swayed between Diego Pavia and Julian Sayin, the two front-runners heading into conference championship weekend. However, when Mendoza, who until that time had only had one signature win, beating Oregon in October, got a chance to compete on the big stage of the Big Ten conference championship game with Sayin, the Hoosier clearly looked like the better quarterback.
Originally a relatively unheralded three-star QB from Miami, Mendoza chose Cal, where he redshirted his freshman season before becoming a starter in 2023 and 2024.
As SI reports, “In 2023, Mendoza completed 63.0% of his passes for 1,708 yards, with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added two rushing scores and had a passer rating of 132.8. In 2024, he made a big jump. Mendoza completed 68.7% of his passes for 3,004 yards, with 16 touchdowns, six interceptions, and two more rushing scores. His passer rating improved to 144.6.
“After the 2024 campaign, he opted to enter the transfer portal and was rated the No. 4 quarterback available. He wound up at Indiana, where his younger brother, Alberto, was a reserve quarterback. “
After capping off those years of steady improvement with a Heisman Trophy, Mendoza can now turn to the real prize awaiting his team: A college football national championship.
The Hoosiers will next play on New Year’s Day at the Rose Bowl in the CFP Quarterfinals.
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