Fernando Mendoza Was Incredibly Emotional After Capturing First Heisman in School History

The Indiana quarterback won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza captured the Heisman trophy on Saturday night. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza captured the 2025 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night in New York City, and he was incredibly emotional upon hearing his name called as the winner of the prestigious award.

The moment Fernando Mendoza became a Heisman winner 🥹🏆 pic.twitter.com/nEobBz3T8U

— ESPN (@espn) December 14, 2025

Mendoza, who became the first Hoosiers player to ever win the award, captured the honor over Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia, who finished second. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin finished third and fourth, respectively.

Mendoza left no stone unturned in his speech, thanking each family member individually, his high school, his former school (Cal) and his current coaches and teammates at Indiana. He also spoke in Spanish to thank his grandparents.

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Fernando Mendoza spoke in Spanish for his grandparents in his Heisman winning speech ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UHaqSO92mu

— ESPN (@espn) December 14, 2025

Mendoza also ended his speech with a compassionate plea to high school players who may be overlooked on the recruiting trail to never give up on their dreams.

The junior is a very deserving winner, completing 71.5% of his passes for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns to just six interceptions for the top-ranked Hoosiers, who won the Big Ten title and earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

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