David Pollack predicts Heisman Trophy winner amid college football season

Pasadena, California, USA; (Editors Notes: Caption Correction) ESPN broadcaster David Pollack before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Utah Utes at the 109th Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl. | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, the Heisman Trust named four finalists: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, and Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love.

The trophy will be awarded Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN. 

On a December 7 episode of his "See Ball Get Ball" podcast, former Georgia standout and College Football Hall of Famer David Pollack weighed in on who he thinks will win the award: Mendoza.

“I’m saying he’s going to win. I have no doubt saying he (Mendoza) is going to win when you start going the geographic by geographic because that’s how this award is voted on… Like, he just got all of the Big Ten. He’s going to get a lot of the others now.” 

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates after the Indiana versus Ohio State Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mendoza’s statistics this season, and Indiana’s first outright Big Ten title since 1945, have pushed him to the top of the 2025 Heisman conversation. 

Mendoza finished the year with 2,980 passing yards, a league-leading 33 TDs, and just six INTs, along with a 71.5% completion, 240 rushing yards, and six rushing TDs. 

More importantly, he guided the Hoosiers to a 13-0 regular season and conference championship run that earned Indiana the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

In comparison, Sayin ended the season with 3,323 passing yards, 31 passing TDs, and six INTs, coupled with a league-leading 78.4% completion rate, leading Ohio State to a 12-1 finish and Big Ten title game appearance. 

Pavia capped his year off with 3,192 passing yards, 27 passing TDs, and eight INTs, along with 826 rushing yards and nine rushing TDs, the highest total offensive yardage among finalists; Vanderbilt finished 10-2, but missed the CFP. 

Love, the lone running back of the group, produced 1,372 rushing yards and 18 rushing TDs, as well as 27 catches for 280 receiving yards and three receiving TDs; Notre Dame ended 10-2, also missing out on the CFP. 

However, Mendoza’s case is the classic Heisman mix of elite single-player production and team success. 

Voters historically reward winners who combine eye-catching numbers with conference titles and national relevance; Indiana’s undefeated run and Mendoza’s efficiency place him as the favorite. 

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