Mendoza Becomes 18th Heisman Winner To Capture National Championship

The newest member of the Heisman Fraternity, Fernando Mendoza, joined an even more exclusive club Monday night (Jan. 19), becoming just the 18th person to win the award and a national title in the same season after leading Indiana to a 27-21 win over Miami in the College Football Playoff.

Mendoza, the CFP National Championship Offensive Player of the Game, passed for 186 yards without an interception , but it was his fourth-down, 12-yard touchdown run with 9:18 to go in the fourth quarter that turned out to be the decisive score, giving the Hoosiers a 24-14 lead.

A late field goal and a later Indiana interception clinched the title as Mendoza became the first Heisman winner to clinch a national title since 2020 recipient DeVonta Smith led Alabama to the 2021 CFP title.

Mendoza, a Miami-area native who grew up walking distance to tonight’s national title game at Hard Rock Stadium, led Indiana to a Cinderella 16-0 season under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, the first team to boast that record in 130 years.

The 2025 Heisman winner threw for 555 yards on 47-of-63 passing and eight touchdowns in CFP wins over Alabama, Oregon and Miami.

Mendoza is the fourth Heisman winner to have led his team to a CFP title since the playoff system began in 2014, joining Alabama’s Derrick Henry (2015), LSU’s Joe Burrow (2019) and Smith. He is the first to do it in the expanded format.

The other Heisman winners who played in the CFP include Marcus Mariota (2014), Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). Mariota led Oregon to a semifinal win in 2014.