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Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the first Hoosier to win the coveted Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award.
Mendoza garnered 2,362 first-place votes, beating out Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (1,435 votes), Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love (719 votes) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (432 votes).
Mendoza guided the Hoosiers to their first No. 1 ranking and the top seed in the 12-team College Football bracket, throwing for 2,980 yards and a national-best 33 touchdown passes while also rushing for six scores. Indiana, the last undefeated team in major college football, will play a College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza runs off the field after a game against Wisconsin on Nov. 15, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mendoza, the Hoosiers’ first-year starter after transferring from California, is the trigger for an offense that surpassed program records for touchdowns and points set during last season’s surprise run to the CFP.
A redshirt junior, the once lightly recruited Miami native is the second Heisman finalist in school history, joining runner-up Anthony Thompson from 1989. The trophy was established in 1935.
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Mendoza is the seventh Indiana player to earn a top-10 finish in the Heisman voting, marking another first in program history — having back-to-back players in the top 10. Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke was ninth last year.
Quarterbacks have won the Heisman four of the last five years, with Travis Hunter of Colorado, who played wide receiver and cornerback, winning last season.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws before a game against Wisconsin Nov. 15, 2025 in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The Heisman Trophy presentation came after a number of awards had already been handed out. Mendoza was named The Associated Press Player of the Year earlier this week and received the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards on Friday night, while Love won the Doak Walker Award.
