Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza Wins Heisman Trophy After Special Season

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza cemented his name in immortality Saturday night in New York City, becoming the 91st Heisman Trophy winner and the first Hoosier to win college football's most prestigious award.

Mendoza earned the nod over Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and two quarterbacks in Ohio State's Julian Sayin and Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia. He's the 39th quarterback to win the award, but he's only the second-ever Indiana player to be a Heisman finalist, joining Anthony Thompson in 1989, and the seventh to finish in the top 10 of voting.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mendoza attended the Heisman Trophy celebration with his family and Indiana coach Curt Cignetti at his side. Several of Mendoza's teammates, including but not limited to linebacker Aiden Fisher, receiver Charlie Becker, tight end Riley Nowakowski and center Pat Coogan, flew to New York City for a surprise visit Saturday morning.

Why Mendoza earned the Heisman over Pavia, Sayin and Love

Mendoza completed 71.5% of his passes for 2,980 yards and an FBS-best 33 passing touchdowns. He guided the Hoosiers to an unblemished 13-0 record and led game-winning, fourth-quarter drives in road victories over Iowa, Oregon and Penn State. Indiana finished as the lone unbeaten team in the FBS.

Cignetti and Mendoza's teammates extensively advocated for his Heisman candidacy over the past week. Cignetti cited Mendoza's on-field production his performance in critical moments as reasons he should win the Heisman Trophy.

"I would have to say it's a no-brainer decision. I believe that," Cignetti said Dec. 7. "He's a tremendous human being that does everything really the right way in terms of preparation, community outreach, leadership. He's got a great relationship with the team. They all look up to him. He cares about people.

"He's extremely intelligent, has high character and values. He's been the leader, and he can beat you with his arm and his legs."

Mendoza's teammates echoed Cignetti's belief.

"I think when you talk about the Heisman and the best football player in the country, winning football games has to matter," Fisher said Dec. 8. "He's won more than anybody in the country. When you look at his resume for this award, there's going to be a lot of games that come down to fourth quarter clutch drives to win football games. And he's done it every time.

"So, for me, that's my Heisman. I think that should be America's Heisman. He's the best football player in the country, and I don't think it's close. He's fantastic at everything he does."

Coogan delivered a similar endorsement.

"He is absolutely the Heisman," Coogan said Dec. 8. "He's absolutely the best quarterback in the country, without a doubt in my mind. And he's absolutely the toughest quarterback in the country, there's no doubt in my mind. He is our rock. and he is the reason we have so much success on Saturdays."

Senior receiver Elijah Sarratt, a second-team All-Big Ten honoree, said Mendoza's off-field habits — watching extra film, staying after practice, going through walkthroughs on his own — have created the on-field success of a Heisman winner.

"He really loves the game, and he's going to do everything he can to be the best player on that field every single Saturday, which he usually is the best player on the field every single Saturday," Sarratt said Dec. 8. "I played with a lot of quarterbacks, but to see the work he puts in every single day, it motivates me to continue to be on my stuff.

Mendoza's trophy case growing larger

Mendoza announced his intentions to transfer from the University of California, Berkeley, on Dec. 11, 2024, and he committed to Indiana on Dec. 24. Now, he's projected as a first-round NFL Draft pick, and he'll leave Bloomington with plenty of hardware for his trophy case.

The Miami native became the first player in Indiana history to win Big Ten Quarterback of the Year and the second to win Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He swept a wealth of national awards, including the AP Player of the Year, the Maxwell Award and the Davey O'Brien Award. He also earned first-team All-American honors from several outlets.

Mendoza has often described the feeling of being a Heisman finalist as "surreal." He told reporters Friday that, if he won the award, he intended on keeping the trophy in Bloomington, a community he's only known for one year but will forever be able to call home.

"I know that going to this ceremony means so much for everybody here in Bloomington," Mendoza said Tuesday. "It means so much for my family. It means so much to the team, especially having the opportunity to hopefully bring home the first Heisman in Indiana history. It means so much to so many people.

"So, I think it's such a great pat on the back for everybody over here in the city of Bloomington with all the support they've given myself."