Heisman Winner
Fernando Mendoza
QB | RS Junior | Indiana University
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University was announced as the 91st winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy during ABC’s 2025 Heisman Trophy Ceremony Presented by Nissan on Saturday (Dec. 13).
Mendoza received 2,362 points, including 643 first-place votes, well ahead of the rest of the field in a convincing win. A redshirt junior, Mendoza is Indiana’s first Heisman winner. The Hoosiers’ previous highest finisher was 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson.
Mendoza finished first in all six Heisman regions, the first to do so since Caleb Williams in 2022. He received 84.66% of total possible points, which is the seventh highest in the history of the Heisman, surpassing Charlie Ward, who received 83.79% in 1993. Mendoza was named on 95.16% of all ballots, which is tied with Marcus Mariota in 2014 for the second highest in the history of the Heisman.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder from Miami, Fla., was the 2025 Big Ten Offensive Player and Quarterback of the Year and an All-Big Ten first-team quarterback who led Indiana to a 2025 Big Ten Championship victory over Ohio State and a No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
Mendoza, in his first year at Indiana after transferring from California, led the Hoosiers to a 13-0 regular-season record — including a victory in the Big Ten Championship game — and the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking. He completed 226-of-316 passes for 2,980 yards and a nation-leading 33 TD passes prior to winning the Heisman while rushing for 240 yards and another six scores. He finished the regular season second nationally in total touchdowns accounted for (39) and in quarterback rating (181.39) and was sixth in completion percentage (71.5).
Mendoza was also named the AP Player of the Year and won the Maxwell, Walter Camp and Davey O’Brien Awards.
Mendoza went on to lead the top-seeded Hoosiers on a storybook run through the College Football Playoff, directing wins over Alabama in the quarterfinal, Oregon in the semifinal, and a nail-biting 27-21 victory over Miami in the championship game at Hard Rock Stadium to claim the university’s first football national title.
Including his three CFP games, Mendoza completed 273-of-379 passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns with just six interceptions in 16 games to go with seven rushing touchdowns. That includes a fourth-quarter 12-yard scoring run in the CFP final.
He was named the College Football Playoff Championship Offensive Player of the Game after scoring the game’s decisive score, a fourth down 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
