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BREAKING: Fernando Mendoza wins the Heisman Trophy

headshotby: Alec Lasley6 hours agoallasley

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has won the 2025 Heisman Trophy. He beat out other finalists of Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

Mendoza becomes the first Indiana football player to win the award, and is the second finalists in program history, as he joined running back Anthony Thompson — who finished second in 1989.

Mendoza is just the seventh Hoosier to even finish in the top-10 of the award (Bill Hillenbrand, 1942; Vaughn Dunbar, 1991; Antwaan Randle El, 2001; Tevin Coleman, 2014; Kurtis Rourke, 2024).

Mendoza led Indiana to a perfect 13-0 record and first Big Ten Championship in program history, defeating Ohio State last weekend.

Fernando Mendoza currently leads the nation in passing touchdowns (33) and is the Power 4 leader in touchdowns responsible for (39). He’s also the only FBS quarterback since at 1996 with multiple games of at least 90 percent completion and four touchdown passes versus Power 4 opponents. Additionally, Mendoza is the lone FBS quarterback with five games of 4+ touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

On the season, he’s thrown for 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns and six interceptions. He adds 240 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns. His completion percentage is at 71.5 for the season.

He didn’t play at all in the second half in IU’s win over Indiana State and didn’t play in the fourth quarter against both UCLA and Purdue this year.

“I’m shining now, but only because there’s so many stars around me,” Mendoza said earlier this week. “There’s an analogy like, the only reason we’re able to see stars in the sky is cause the light reflects from all different types of stars. And I have so many stars around myself, whether it’s my teammates, my coaches, my family, the support staff, that I’m able to shine now in this light.

“And I’m just so happy for everyone to be a part of this.”

Fernando Mendoza transferred to Indiana last offseason after three years at Cal. He is a projected first-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and among the top expected selections in the draft.

Indiana will take on the winner of the No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama matchup in the Rose Bowl on January 1.

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