On Saturday night, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, or Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love will join one of sports’ most elusive clubs as the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner.
There have been surprising award winners before. Given that, if Mendoza does not win the trophy, it would be shocking. He is the heavy betting favorite at -2500, with Pavia at +1100, Love at +25000, and Sayin at +50000.
Still, despite those odds, the conversation around the Heisman Trophy is not one-sided. One former winner is actively campaigning for Pavia.
Johnny Manziel Pushes for Diego Pavia
2012 Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Manziel, former Texas A&M quarterback, endorsed Pavia and likely used his vote for him.
PAVIA 4 HEISMAN 🤞🏼
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) December 13, 2025
Pavia’s size and style of play have drawn comparisons to Manziel, so it’s easy to see why Manziel would be drawn to him.
Pavia has completed 242 of 340 passes (71.2%) for 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has rushed for 826 yards and nine touchdowns. Most impressively, he led Vanderbilt – a traditional SEC bottom-feeder – to a 10-2 record, improving on last year’s 7-6 mark.
Pavia is the top-ranked quarterback in the country, according to their PFSN CFB QB Impact score of 94.8, which earns them an A grade. Mendoza is ranked second with a score of 93.2 and also earns an A. Sayin ranks fourth with a 90.8 score and an A- grade. (USC’s Jayden Maiava ranks third with a score of 93.0 and an A grade).
To be fair to Mendoza, he was just as impressive in his lone season at Indiana. The Hoosiers went 13-0, culminating in a 13-10 win over Ohio State, the nation’s top team since defeating preseason No. 1 Texas in the first week. Indiana enters the playoffs as the top seed and is the only unbeaten team in the country.
Love also makes quite the argument despite the Irish missing out on the postseason. After suffering defeats in their first two contests – a 27-24 loss at Miami and a wild 41-40 home loss to Texas A&M – the Irish then ripped off 10 straight wins, mostly in dominant fashion. During this span, Love has rushed for 1,372 yards on just 199 carries (6.9 yards per rush) with 18 touchdowns. He has also caught 27 passes for 280 yards and three more touchdowns.
That leaves Sayin. Despite the Buckeyes’ 12-0 start, he hasn’t received the hype typical for a quarterback of his stature.
Julian Sayin Disrespected During Heisman Media Availability
Sayin’s accomplishments have been recognized. However, the Buckeyes feature the nation’s best wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, along with talented pass-catchers like Carnell Tate and an elite defense stacked with future NFL stars. As a result, Sayin has been somewhat overshadowed.
This was evident again during the Heisman Trophy media availability. With most of the reporters surrounding Pavia and Mendoza, you can see just one person in frame speaking with Sayin.
Julian Sayin is gonna remember this moment.
(I will too) pic.twitter.com/GCSsn4PB4T
— Blake T. Biscardi (@BlakeBiscardi) December 13, 2025
Repeating as national champions after a tough loss should be motivation, but Ryan Day and the Buckeyes can also use Sayin’s lack of respect as fuel.
Sayin posted incredible numbers this year, completing 279 of 356 passes (78.4%) for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
Smith finished sixth in the Heisman voting. Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs finished ninth. Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was fifth. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton finished seventh. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss finished eighth, and Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King finished 10th.
You can watch the Heisman Trophy ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
