On December 13, 2025, quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University won the highly coveted Heisman Trophy. This award gave Mendoza the honor of becoming the first person to win this award in Indiana University’s history. Leading the Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 record, Mendoza earned the title of the Associated Press player of the year, as well as securing the number one seed in the college football playoffs. On January 20, 2026, Indiana beat Miami, earning the college football national title.
In addition to earning the Heisman Trophy, Mendoza also won the Davey O’Brien Award for being the top quarterback in the nation. Throwing for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns, the junior quarterback added six more scores on the ground just this season. Mendoza finished with 643 votes for first-place.
While receiving the trophy, Mendoza thanked his coaches, teammates, and his parents, especially his mother, “I was only a two-star prospect, only had one scholarship offer. But my family’s unconditional love and belief kept me going and pushing me forward. These are the people who built me long before football did,” Mendoza added, “Congrats to all my teammates. My brothers. This is our trophy. I love you guys more than you know. I honestly always believed in myself and believed in my team. And so I really just try to keep it one game at a time, one practice at a time, in order to then have a small scope in order to get my large goals.”
