Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, becoming the first Hoosier to capture college football’s most prestigious individual honor since the award’s inception in 1935. Mendoza was announced as the 91st winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy, marking a historic moment for Indiana football.

Mendoza dominated the voting, finishing with 2,362 total points and 643 first-place votes. He beat Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who finished second with 1,435 points, followed by Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (719 points) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (432 points).

Mendoza appeared on 95.16% of all ballots, tying Oregon’s Marcus Mariota (2014) for the second-highest ballot appearance rate in Heisman history. LSU’s Joe Burrow holds the record at 95.47%, set in 2019.

Mendoza is Indiana’s first Heisman winner and only the second finalist in program history, joining 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson. Thompson had previously been the Hoosiers’ highest finisher. Mendoza also became the seventh Indiana player to place in the Heisman top 10 and helped make history with back-to-back top-10 finishers, following quarterback Kurtis Rourke’s ninth-place showing last season.

A 6-foot-5, 225-pound quarterback from Miami, Florida, Mendoza is in his first season at Indiana after transferring from California. He led the Hoosiers to a perfect 13–0 record, the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking, and a Big Ten Championship win over Ohio State. Indiana earned the No. 1 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff, capping one of the most remarkable seasons in college football.

Mendoza completed 226 of 316 passes for 2,980 yards and a nation-leading 33 touchdown passes while adding 240 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. He accounted for 39 total touchdowns, ranking second nationally, and posted a quarterback rating of 181.39, also second in the country. His 71.5% completion rate ranked sixth nationally.

His 33 touchdown passes set a new Indiana single-season record, as did his five games with four or more passing touchdowns. Mendoza threw at least one touchdown pass in every game except the season opener and completed more than 85% of his passes four times. His best performance came against Michigan State, when he threw for a season-high 332 yards and four touchdowns.

Mendoza was also named the 2025 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback of the Year, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. He became the first Big Ten player to win the Heisman since Ohio State’s Troy Smith in 2006.

He also made history beyond the field, becoming the first Cuban-American to win the Heisman Trophy and just the second player of Hispanic descent to receive the award, joining Stanford’s Jim Plunkett (1970).

Indiana’s offensive surge under Mendoza shattered multiple program records for touchdowns and points, surpassing records set during last season’s unexpected CFP run. The Hoosiers entered the year as the losingest program in major college football history, making their ascent to the sport’s pinnacle even more improbable.

The next stop for Mendoza and Indiana comes on New Years Day, when the Hoosiers play in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl against the winner of Friday night’s matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma.