After leading Indiana’s perfect season, Fernando Mendoza awarded 2025 Heisman Trophy
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — Fernando Mendoza’s remarkable season at the helm of the nation’s top-ranked team was rewarded with college football’s most coveted individual award on Saturday.
The Indiana Hoosiers quarterback won the 2025 Heisman Trophy, beating out Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, to become the school’s first winner of the acclaimed prize.
As his name was called, an emotional Mendoza embraced his fellow finalists and his family. Holding back tears, he also hugged his IU head coach, Curt Cignetti.
“I’m at a loss of words. Thank you to everybody. First, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to chase a dream that once felt a world away,” Mendoza said while next to the trophy. “Standing here tonight and holding this bad boy, representing Indiana University, still doesn’t feel real.”
Mendoza’s football resume was stacked with notable accomplishments. He led the Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 record, to the university’s first Big Ten football title since 1967 and helped book the No. 1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff. He was also named the Associated Press player of the year and won the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback.
“If you told me, as a kid in Miami, that I would be here on stage, holding this prestigious trophy, I probably would have laughed, cried like I’m doing now, or both,” Mendoza said. “Because this moment, it’s an honor, it’s bigger than me. It’s a product of a family, a team, community and a whole lot of people who believed in me long before anybody knew my name.”
It was almost exactly a year ago to the day when Mendoza traded his Northern California digs for the Midwest sprawl of Indiana.
And on Saturday, the move paid off with the 22-year-old winning the 91st edition of the Heisman Trophy at New York City’s Lincoln Center.
The junior quarterback threw for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns while adding six more scores on the ground this season.
Mendoza gave credit to the school and his teammates for the honor.
“Congrats to all my teammates. My brothers. This is our trophy. I love you guys more than you know,” Mendoza said.
“This trophy might have my name on it but it belongs to all of you. It belongs … first time in Bloomington. Playing in front of Hoosier nation is one of the greatest privileges of my life. And I’ll carry that forever.”
With his family looking upon, Mendoza thanked his parents, especially his mother.
“I was only a two-star prospect, only had one scholarship offer. But my family’s unconditional love and belief kept me going and pushing me forward. These are the people who built me long before football did,” Mendoza said.
“Mommy, this is your trophy as much as it is mine,” he said as the ESPN broadcast showed Elsa Mendoza proudly listening to her son on stage, holding back her tears.
“You’ve always been my biggest fan. You’re my light. You’re my why. You’re my biggest supporter. Your sacrifices encouraged love. Those have been my playbook and the playbook I’m going to carry through my side for my entire life.”
A Cuban American whose grandparents immigrated from Cuba, Mendoza gave a special shout-out in Spanish to Alberto and Alicia Espinoza, who were also in attendance.
After spending his first two seasons as the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears QB, Mendoza entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to play for Cignetti and Indiana University in late December 2024.
What came next was a historic season in which the city of Bloomington, an illustrious college basketball town, caught “HeisMendoza” fever.
In an October interview with CNN, Mendoza said he’s been watching the Heisman ceremony since he was a kid and divulged what the opportunity to win the trophy meant to him.
“It’s definitely a great honor to be in that (Heisman) conversation, especially with so many great former players and so many great players that are in that conversation right now.
“I honestly always believed in myself and believed in my team. And so I really just try to keep it one game at a time, one practice at a time, in order to then have a small scope in order to get my large goals.”
Mendoza finished with 643 first-place votes.
Pavia finished in second, with Love and Sayin coming in third and fourth in the voting, respectively.
The ultimate team prize, a national championship, is also within the quarterback’s grasp. The journey will start at the beginning of the new year, as Indiana awaits the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama in the CFP quarterfinals on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The Fighting Irish have been the talk of college football in the last week for the wrong reasons. Despite his team missing out on the CFP, Love proved himself to be the premier halfback in college this season.
The 20-year-old junior finished fourth in the FBS with 1,372 rushing yards and third with 18 rushing touchdowns.
Sayin, the sophomore quarterback, had big shoes to fill after his Buckeyes won the 2024-2025 national championship behind signal-caller Will Howard.
The 20-year-old did just that this season, leading No. 2 Ohio State to a 12-1 record with 3,232 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The Buckeyes will face the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami in the Cotton Bowl on January 1.
Before Pavia got onto campus in Nashville, Vanderbilt was not viewed as a serious Southeastern Conference powerhouse.
But the 23-year-old transferred in from New Mexico State University ahead of the 2024 season and the Commodores became a SEC contender ever since.
The senior led No. 14 Vandy to the program’s first 10-win season, throwing for 3,192 yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 826 rushing yards, and nine touchdowns on the ground.
The Commodores just missed out on their first CFP berth but will face No. 23 Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on December 31 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
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