Following the conclusion of the Army-Navy Game, the Heisman Trophy award — the sport’s highest individual honor — was handed to the top college football player in the country during an awards ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13 in New York.
Indiana football’s Fernando Mendoza beat out the three other finalists — Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love — as the recipient of the 2025 Heisman Trophy race, marking the 13th time a quarterback has won the award since 2010.
Here’s what you need to know about the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner:
Who won the Heisman Trophy in 2025?
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza was named the recipient of the 2025 Heisman Trophy on Dec. 13 during an awards ceremony in New York City.
With Mendoza winning the Heisman Trophy, he becomes the first Indiana player to win the Heisman.
The type of season that Mendoza had with the Hoosiers was far from impressive, as the former Cal quarterback continued to lead Indiana to new heights — like earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff after upsetting Ohio State in the Big Ten championship — during its historic turnaround under Curt Cignetti.
‘I can’t say enough about the way he competes,’ Cignetti said of Mendoza after Indiana’s Big Ten championship win over Ohio State. ‘He’s got the heart of a champion, and played great tonight and when we needed him.’
Mendoza had been either the betting favorite for the Heisman or in the top three of the best-Heisman odds on BetMGM for much of the season. He was the favorite on BetMGM in each of the last two weeks, including last week at -5000 odds.
The moment that perhaps solidified Mendoza’s Heisman candidacy came late in the fourth quarter of the Big Ten championship game when he connected with Charlie Becker for a 33-yard catch on third-and-6 backed up in the Hoosiers’ side of the field.
Heisman voting results 2025
Mendoza received a total of 2,392 points from Heisman Trophy voters, including 643 first-place votes. He edged out Pavia by 957 votes.
Here’s the full points total for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, including first-place votes:
- 1st place: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza (2,392 points — 643 first-place votes)
- 2nd place: Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (1,435 points — 189 first-place votes)
- 3rd place: Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love (719 points — 46 first-place votes)
- 4th place: Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (432 points — 8 first-place votes)
- 5th place: Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez (295 points — 17 first-place votes)
- 6th place: Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (84 points — 4 first-place votes)
- 7th place: Georgia QB Gunnar Stockton (43 points — 3 first-place votes)
- 8th place: Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss (23 points — 2 first-place votes)
- 9th place: Ohio State S Caleb Downs (22 points — 2 first-place votes)
- 10th place: Georgia Tech QB Haynes King (18 points — 2 first-place votes)
Heisman Trophy finalists’ stats
Here’s a look at the stats of the four Heisman Trophy finalists in 2025:
Fernando Mendoza
- Passing: 226 of 316 (71.5%) passing for 2,980 yards with 33 touchdowns and six interceptions
- Rushing: 240 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 69 carries
Julian Sayin
- Passing: 279 of 356 passing (78.4%) for 3,323 yards with 31 touchdowns and six interceptions
Diego Pavia
- Passing: 242 of 340 passing (71.2%) for 3,192 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions
- Rushing: 826 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 152 carries
Jeremiyah Love
- Rushing: 1,372 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns on 199 carries
- Receiving: 280 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns on 27 receptions
Heisman Trophy winners history
Here’s a look at the past 10 Heisman Trophy winners with the addition of Mendoza to the list:
- 2025: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
- 2024: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
- 2023: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
- 2022: QB Caleb Williams, USC
- 2021: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
- 2020: WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
- 2019: QB Joe Burrow, LSU
- 2018: QB Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
- 2017: QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
- 2016: QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
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