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Adam Eargle, CBS Sports

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the 2025 Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding player in college football. He beat out Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin for the honor.

The Hoosiers' signal caller earned 643 first-place votes, 191 second-place votes and 51 third-place votes. Pavia finished second with 189 first-place votes, 352 second-place votes and 164 for third. 

Mendoza came from humble beginnings, rated as the No. 134 quarterback in the Class of 2022. Before he earned a late offer from California, he was set to go to Yale and play in the Ivy League. Even after arriving in Berkeley, he had to battle for the starting job each season before finally settling in and breaking out as a sophomore.

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After that impressive run, Mendoza became one of the hottest commodities in the transfer portal. Instead of choosing a traditional power, he was sold on Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and a rising program in Bloomington. His brother Alberto was also a quarterback at the school, but the addition of Fernando proved to be one of the greatest in program history.

During Indiana's historic run to the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff, Mendoza was sensational. The junior completed 71.5% of his passes for 2,980 yards and led college football with 33 passing touchdowns. The Hoosiers won the Big Ten outright for the first time since 1945 with a perfect 13-0 record.

Unlike nearly every other candidate, Mendoza had multiple Heisman moments. In a 27-24 comeback win against Penn State, he led a game-winning drive and connected with Omar Cooper on an acrobatic touchdown that will be replayed for years. In the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State, he took a third-down snap and hit Charlie Becker for a 33-yard pass that helped the Hoosiers run out the clock in a 13-10 upset.

Now, the Heisman winner prepares to take Indiana into the CFP. The Hoosiers play the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Indiana has never won a national championship. 

Surprisingly, Mendoza is the first Heisman Trophy winner to play in the CFP since Alabama's Bryce Young in 2021. Young led the Crimson Tide to the national title game before falling just short to rival Georgia. Between 2014 and 2021, seven of the eight Heisman winners earned a trip to the CFP. 

Mendoza is also the first Big Ten player to win the Heisman Trophy since Ohio State's Troy Smith in 2006, and just the second in the 21st Century. USC and Oregon have produced a combined five Heismans since 2000, but all came while members of the Pac-12. Indiana has not produced a Heisman finalist since running back Anthony Thompson in 1989. 

2025 Heisman Trophy voting 

RankPlayerSchool1st2nd3rdTotal points
1Fernando MendozaIndiana643191512,362
2Diego PaviaVanderbilt1893521641,435
3Jeremiyah LoveNotre Dame46157267719
4Julian SayinOhio State8118172432
5Jacob RodriguezTexas Tech1756132295
6Jeremiah SmithOhio State4183684

Elevating the Hoosiers

Indiana reached the College Football Playoff last season, but lost by double-digits against Notre Dame as the offense struggled to create opportunities. Statistically, the unit hasn't been much different in 2025. Against elite competition, though, Mendoza has proven to be a significant upgrade. 

In historic wins over No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon, Mendoza completed 65% of his passes and averaged 8.1 yards per attempt against two of the best defenses in college football. He completed the game-changing 33-yard pass against Ohio State to run out the clock. Total stats tell part of the story, but his ascension in key moments has been the difference between excellent and national caliber at Indiana.