Fernando Mendoza is your 2025 Heiman Trophy winner.
Mendoza, a junior transfer from Cal, went from little to no prominence over the course of the season, beating out Ohio State's Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia and Notre Dame's Jeremy Love for college football's most prestigious individual award.
Pavia finished second in the voting, Love was third, and Julian Sayin was fourth.
Mendoza's victory is significant not only for himself, but also for his school. He is the first Indiana Hoosier to ever win the Heisman Award and the first person to be nominated since Anthony Thompson in 1989.
The historic Heisman victory capped 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 Hoosiers' undefeated season and conference championship earned them the top 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 throwing just six interceptions. He added 240 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.” Sports Illustrated reports.
Not particularly flashy numbers for a Heisman Trophy winner or even a finalist. However, leading his team to first place and finishing the season as the only undefeated team in the FBS likely helped his cause.
Of course, Mendoza also attracted many fans with his moving postgame interview, in which he praised God and his teammates in a heartfelt speech.
Media pundits appeared to be dithering between Diego Pavia and Julian Sayin, the two favorites heading into conference championship weekend. However, when Mendoza, who had only one signature win up to that point, a win over Oregon in October, got the chance to square off on the big stage of the Big Ten Conference championship game with Sayin, the Hoosier clearly looked like the better quarterback.
Mendoza was originally a relatively unheralded three-star QB out of Miami but chose Cal, where he redshirted his first season and then became the starter in 2023 and 2024.
How AND reports“In 2023, Mendoza completed 63.0% of his passes for 1,708 yards, with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added two scores rushing and had a passer rating of 132.8. He took a big leap in 2024. 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 decided to enter the transfer portal and was rated as the No. 4 available quarterback. He ended up in Indiana, where his younger brother Alberto was the backup quarterback.”
Having capped years of steady progress with the 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.
