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Indiana University guard Fernando Mendoza was the first Hoosier win the coveted Heisman Trophy, college football's most prestigious award.
Mendoza received 2,392 first-place votes, defeating the Vanderbilt quarterback. Diego Pavia (1435 votes)Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love (719 votes) and Ohio State defensive back Julian Sayin (432 votes).
Mendoza led the Hoosiers to their No. 1 ranking and No. 1 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, throwing for 2,980 yards and a national-best 33 touchdown passes while also scoring six scores.
Indiana, the last undefeated team in major college football, will play its College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
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Indiana guard Fernando Mendoza runs off the field after a game against Wisconsin on November 15, 2025 in Bloomington, Indiana. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mendoza, the Hoosiers' first-year starter after transferring from California, is the mastermind behind an offense that surpassed program records for touchdowns and points set during a surprise CFP appearance last season.
A young man in a red shirt who was once easily recruited Miami native is the second Heisman finalist in school history, joining runner-up Anthony Thompson in 1989. The trophy was established in 1935.
Mendoza is the seventh Indiana player to finish in the top 10 of Heisman voting, another first in program history. There are now back-to-back players ranked in the top 10 in Heisman voting. Hoosiers guard Kurtis Rourke was ninth last year.
The quarterback has won the Heisman in four of the last five years. Travis Hunter from Colorado, who played wide receiver and defensive back, won last season.
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Indiana guard Fernando Mendoza throws before the game against Wisconsin on November 15, 2025 in Bloomington, Indiana. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mendoza was named Associated Press Player of the Year earlier this week and received the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards on Friday night, while Love won the Doak Walker Award.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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