Rece Davis reveals why he ‘regrets’ his vote for the Heisman Trophy

Following a wild season of college football that saw plenty of upsets and surprises, the 2025 Heisman Trophy was announced over the weekend.

The four finalists all deserved to be on the mainstage as Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin each had notable campaigns.

Mendoza, who developed into one of the darlings of the sport this fall, ran away with the prestigious award in the end, accumulating 454 more 1st-place votes than the runner-up, who happened to be Pavia.

A boisterous and exuberant quarterback who wears his heart on his sleeve, Pavia wasn't thrilled with the result. In the aftermath, the Vanderbilt signal-caller was spotted holding up a middle finger next to a 'F--k Indiana' sign at a party.

Pavia went on to post 'F-All The Voters' on social media. The actions drew backlash and forced him to apologize. Pavia claimed he overreacted after coming close to hoisting the trophy and didn't mean to be disrespectful.

Regardless, the emotional response has Pavia on the outs with one Heisman voter.

ESPN's Rece Davis Regrets Heisman Vote, Glad Pavia Didn't Win

Media personalities have chimed in on Pavia's outburst, with ESPN's Pat McAfee saying a lot of people turned on the Vanderbilt quarterback after the Heisman ceremony.

One of his College GameDay co-hosts actually voted for Pavia to win.

Rece Davis now regrets that decision. He didn't take the comments personally but believes Pavia's behavior is out of line.

“I didn’t feel like he owed the voters an apology. He can say what he wants to them. As a voter, I saw some people who took umbrage with that; I did not. He can say what he wants," Davis said on the College GameDay Podcast. "But the one thing that his behavior, even with the apology included and accepted, did for me, it made me regret my Heisman vote.

"I voted for Diego Pavia because I know what the history of Vanderbilt is. I thought he was the most dynamic player," Davis added. "I am predisposed in Heisman voting to vote for guys who create ‘wow’ moments.”

Davis was "put off" by the way Pavia targeted Indiana and Mendoza. He called the antics "way across the line", adding that you see who people really are by how they respond to losing.

"It wasn't his response to the voters that bugged me. It was the way the response then went towards Fernando Mendoza, if and only in a way that Fernando caught a stray," Davis said. "There's nobody that I've run across in the last several years in college football that carries himself with more class and more dignity and more character than Fernando Mendoza."

"He [Mendoza] looks you in the eye when he talks to you, he references previous conversations with you, he acts like a man of character and class," Davis continued. "Diego Pavia didn't. He apologized for it, I accept that."

Davis claims this is the second time in two decades that he's felt remorseful about his Heisman vote.

In his opinion, Mendoza is a rightful representative for the award, as evidenced by how he's operated on the field and off.

“I’ve voted for the Heisman for 20-something years. I’ve only regretted my vote two times: one time it was because of on the field, and I was unfair in my judgment toward a person," Davis said. "In my effort to be fair, I ended up being unfair to the person I should have voted for. This one was different."

"I regretted the vote because after Pavia’s behavior in the aftermath, I was like, ‘man, I’m glad he didn’t win.’ I’m glad he didn’t win," Davis added. "That’s not the way you should feel about a player that's as great as Pavia is on the field. I'm delighted that Mendoza won because he will represent the Heisman in the way that it should be represented."

This is learning moment for Pavia, who was at the forefront of controversy earlier in his college career.

Pavia will have one last chance to star at Vanderbilt when the Commodores take on Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on December 31.

ESPN's Rece Davis Regrets Heisman Vote, Glad Pavia Didn't Win

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