After months of speculation by fans and careful consideration by the voters, the 2025 Heisman Trophy finalists have been announced. Next weekend, these four young men will step foot into the Heisman ceremony, but only one of them will be enshrined forever in college football history.
Here is how each of the finalists got to this stage:
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
PFSN QB Impact: A, 94.8
A native of New Mexico, Diego Pavia’s college football career began in 2020 at the New Mexico Military Institute, playing well enough to earn a spot at New Mexico State the very next season as their starting quarterback. While at NMSU, Pavia would throw for over 4,400 yards and rush for over 1,400Â in his two seasons as the starter before finally earning a shot with an SEC team.
Joining Vanderbilt in 2024, Pavia put together an electric year, featuring one of the season’s best upsets as Vanderbilt took down the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and took home a win in the Birmingham Bowl against Georgia Tech. Following that season, Pavia would win a lawsuit against the NCAA, which granted the QB yet another year of eligibility.
Notably, Pavia had his best season to date in 2025, throwing for over 3,100 yards and adding 826 yards on the ground. He led the Commodores to a 10-2 season with ranked wins against LSU, Missouri, and Tennessee. He finished the season with 36 total touchdowns and just eight interceptions.
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
PFSN QB Impact: A, 93.2
Not just a Heisman finalist, but possibly the best transfer quarterback this past offseason. Fernando Mendoza came over from Cal Berkley following an excellent sophomore campaign that had the college football world buzzing as he threw for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
When initially joining the portal, analysts raved about Mendoza’s arm talent, high IQ, and overall leadership, all of which were on full display this season, as the Indiana Hoosiers went undefeated, going on to capture the program’s first Big Ten championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
In terms of value, there might not have been a more valuable transfer this season than Mendoza to the Hoosiers. The Miami native would double his career touchdown numbers this season, throwing for 33 and counting, as Indiana awaits to see who their matchup will be in this year’s Rose Bowl game.
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
PFSN RB Impact: A-, 92.2
Notre Dame’s junior running back Jeremiyah Love has been described this season as one of, if not the most, electrifying players in college football. After not scoring in the first week of the season, Love would find the end zone in every week that followed, totalling 21 touchdowns on the year, with at least one rushing touchdown in each game.
This came as no surprise, considering that just one year prior, the junior running back had logged 17 rushing touchdowns, which earned him high praise and hype heading into the 2025 campaign. Love tallied six games with over 100 rushing yards and nine with at least 110 all-purpose yards.
The Fighting Irish were ultimately left out of the playoffs due to their schedule strength, which may also play a part in Love’s Heisman candidacy. Nonetheless, if Love were to win, he’d keep a streak of running backs winning the Heisman trophy every year ending in the number five.
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
PFSN QB Impact: A-, 90.8
The youngest player out of the bunch, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, had a spectacular first season at the head of the Buckeye offense. Just a redshirt freshman, Sayin logged the best completion percentage by any quarterback in FBS and finished the regular season third in the nation with 31 passing touchdowns.
Sayin showed a lot of maturity and poise in his first season, leading Ohio State to an undefeated regular season, while also beating Michigan in the process, a feat fans would consider to be better than a National Championship. The Buckeyes would fall in the Big 10 championship, but now look ahead to the College Football Playoffs.
While Sayin’s game doesn’t have a ton of flash or flare, he plays a clean game of football and puts his team in position to win football games. Some may say it’s the talent around him, but as just an underclassman, Sayin proved to be worthy of this Heisman contention.
