The 2025 Heisman Trophy finalists are officially set: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, and Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia will all be heading to New York for college football’s most prestigious honor.
All four are worthy candidates after elite seasons that helped elevate their programs.
But every December, the conversation naturally shifts to those left out despite their production, value, or impact arguably meriting an invitation. And in 2025, a year loaded with breakout stars and program-defining performances, three snubs stand above the rest.
The trio consists of Georgia Tech QB Haynes King, Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez, and UConn QB Joe Fagnano.
Below is a look at why each of them had a résumé every bit as compelling as the four players who’ll be heading to the Big Apple.
Haynes King: QB, Georgia Tech
No player meant more to his team this season than King, the emotional heartbeat and engine of Georgia Tech’s unexpected emergence on the national stage. The Yellow Jackets didn’t just win; they fought, clawed, and stayed in the ACC and College Football Playoff conversation deep into November.
And King was the reason why.
Georgia Tech finished 9–3, a massive step forward for Brent Key’s rebuild, and the Yellow Jackets did it while King battled through injuries and missed a game. Even so, his 11-game statistical résumé was Heisman-caliber:
- 2,697 passing yards
- 12 passing TDs to just five INTs
- 71.7% completion rate
- 922 rushing yards
- 15 rushing TDs
But the raw stats are only part of the story. According to PFSN, King posted an 86.4 QB Impact Grade (18th among all FBS quarterbacks), underscoring just how consistently effective he was across the season. He also ranked sixth among all QBs in rushing yards and tied for second in rushing touchdowns, illustrating his rare dual-threat dominance.
King didn’t need overly flashy numbers to stand out: the grit, leadership, and playmaking under pressure were obvious every week. He was the lifeline of the program, the identity of the team, and the single most important reason Georgia Tech spent most of the season flirting with national relevance.
A Heisman invitation would’ve been well earned.
Jacob Rodriguez: LB, Texas Tech
Defense rarely gets its due in the Heisman race, but Rodriguez put together the kind of season that should command national hardware, even if the award has long been QB-tilted.
Rodriguez didn’t just rack up numbers; he anchored a Texas Tech defense that underwent a remarkable transformation. The Red Raiders finished with 12 wins, captured the Big 12 Championship, and secured a top-four CFP ranking, a turnaround few outside Lubbock saw coming.
His numbers speak for themselves:
- 114 tackles
- Seven forced fumbles
- Four interceptions
- Two fumble recoveries
- Six pass deflections
And the advanced metrics back it all up. Rodriguez posted a 90.0 PFSN LB Impact Grade, the second best of any linebacker in the nation. Under his leadership, Texas Tech’s defense earned a team impact grade of 95.6 (No. 4 nationally), allowed just 3.9 yards per play (No. 2), and gave up only 10.92 points per game, one of the stingiest marks in the country.
For context, Rodriguez’s season favorably compares to Manti Te’o’s 2012 Heisman runner-up campaign: Te’o posted 113 tackles, seven INTs and no forced fumbles or fumble recoveries. Rodriguez matched or surpassed several of those marks and did so while leading a top-tier defensive unit on a conference champion.
If there was ever a defensive player deserving of a seat in New York, it was Rodriguez.
Joe Fagnano: QB, UConn
The most under-the-radar star of the 2025 season? Without question: Fagnano.
Most college football fans probably didn’t watch much UConn this year but should have, because Fagnano quietly delivered one of the most efficient and productive seasons in the nation while guiding a long-struggling program to relevance.
UConn finished 9–3, earned a second consecutive bowl trip, and looked like a program finally revived under Jim Mora. Fagnano was the catalyst:
- 3,441 passing yards
- 28 TDs to just a single interception (the best ratio in the country)
- 68.9% completion rate
- Three rushing TDs
Advanced metrics paint an even clearer picture of his excellence: Fagnano earned an 86.6 PFSN Impact Grade, 16th best in all of college football, and ranked No. 8 nationally in passing yards (3,441) and No. 7 in passing touchdowns (28).
That 28:1 TD:INT ratio alone should have grabbed national attention. Combine that with UConn’s transformation from an afterthought to a winner, and Fagnano’s omission from the finalist list feels like one of the biggest oversights of the decade.
Quiet production doesn’t mean inferior production; Fagnano delivered one of the cleanest, most poised seasons of any quarterback in America.
Conclusion: A Deep Heisman Year With Tough Cuts
The 2025 Heisman finalists are deserving, but that doesn’t diminish the truth: King, Rodriguez, and Fagnano put together seasons that were every bit worthy of New York recognition.
Each elevated their team. Each produced at an elite level. And each, in their own way, became the backbone of their program.
In a different year, maybe all three could’ve made the list of finalists. But in 2025, they’ll go down as the biggest snubs, players whose seasons deserved to be seen under the lights of the Heisman ceremony stage.
