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The 2025 Heisman Trophy finalists were announced on Monday and the list of stars headed to New York features some of the best and brightest from a particularly chaotic football season. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love will all take center stage during Saturday's ceremony, which is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET, but only one will be crowned as the 80th Heisman Trophy winner. 

It certainly seems like a quarterback will be taking the Heisman Trophy home this year after Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter broke the streak of three straight quarterback winners last season. Mendoza and Pavia are the two favorites to win the award now that most votes have been cast following championship game weekend. Though a quarterback winning the Heisman is nothing new, it would still be a historic triumph for either Mendoza or Pavia -- neither Indiana nor Vanderbilt have ever produced a Heisman winner. 

Neither Sayin nor Love should be entirely discounted. Sayin started at quarterback for the best team in college football -- entering the Big Ten Championship Game, at least -- and Love is one of the most talented running backs to pass through Notre Dame in the modern era.

Here's a more detailed look at the four players who made the cut for the 2025 Heisman Trophy. 

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 

Mendoza is now the heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy after his heroic performance in Indiana's Big Ten Championship Game win against Ohio State. Mendoza helped the Hoosiers capture their first outright conference title in 80 years with 15 completions for 222 yards and one touchdown. He effectively sealed the 13-10 victory with a perfectly placed 33-yard pass to wide receiver Charlie Becker that converted a third-and-6 with just over two minutes to play. Mendoza also orchestrated the crucial 88-yard touchdown drive in which he completed passes of 51 yards and 17 yards for the decisive score. That brought his stats on the year to a respectable 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns through the air. He also rushed for six touchdowns. Mendoza won't win because of the box score, though, but more for his impact in leading a historically deficient program to new heights. 

Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt

Speaking of leading programs that have struggled historically, Pavia is the engine behind Vanderbilt's modern Renaissance under coach Clark Lea. He's emerged as one of the nation's premier playmakers -- akin to Johnny Manziel and the freestyling gunslingers of yore -- and his hot close to the season has him on the precipice of winning college football's most prestigious individual award. He averaged a whopping 455.8 total yards of offense and was responsible for 16 touchdowns in Vanderbilt's last four games. He rushed for 165 yards on 8.3 yards per carry in Vanderbilt's regular season finale against Tennessee, which helped propel the Commodores to their first win against their in-state rival since 2018. 

Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State 

Sayin's Heisman outlook seems to have faded in the wake of Ohio State's Big Ten Championship Game loss, though he turned in a solid 258-yard, one-touchdown performance. That also marked the 11th game this season in which he completed at least 70% of his passes. It should come as no surprise that his 78.4% completion rate leads all FBS quarterbacks. As does his 182.1 passer rating among quarterbacks that have thrown the ball at least 100 times this season. Sayin has at least one more year before he's eligible for the NFL Draft, so there's a good chance this won't be the last time he's involved in the Heisman conversation. 

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame 

Love most likely won't win the Heisman, but he certainly belongs at the ceremony. He's powered Notre Dame's offense all season long as one of the most explosive runners in college football. Love is one of just two running backs at the FBS level with at least 1,000 yards rushing on 6.9 yards per carry. His eight-carry, 171-yard performance in Notre Dame's 70-7 win against Syracuse was one of the best rushing performances all season. It's also rather typical of what Love accomplished with the Fighting Irish.