There's no greater individual award in sports than the Heisman Trophy and its presentation. Winning the Heisman Trophy launches a college football star into true superstardom making players household names, and players everyone remembers forever. This season, the race for the Heisman Trophy has taken plenty of unexpected turns.
Coming into the season the likes of Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers, Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar, and more were all expected to battle it out for the award. Instead, this weekend the Heisman Trophy will most likely be handed to a candidate no one saw coming before the season.
Meet the four Heisman Trophy finalists
When the Heisman Trophy is handed out this weekend, it'll be Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia, Ohio State's Julian Sayin, and Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love all on stage as the four finalists.
Congratulations to the 2025 Heisman Trophy finalists: @NDFootball RB Jeremiyah Love, @IndianaFootball QB Fernando Mendoza, @VandyFootball QB Diego Pavia, and @OhioStateFB QB Julian Sayin!#Heisman | #MoreThanATrophy pic.twitter.com/kbVh0SxFAd
— The Heisman Trophy (@HeismanTrophy) December 8, 2025
Coming into the season, Jeremiyah Love was seen as the most likely of the finalists to make it to the ceremony as he was clearly the best running back in the Country. This season, Love has rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns averaging a stellar 6.9 yards per carry while adding 280 yards and 3 scores as a receiver.
The most likely candidate to win the award this weekend is Indiana Hoosiers' star Fernando Mendoza. After capping off an undefeated regular season with a win in the Big Ten Championship, Mendoza has a better case than any other candidate. Mendoza has passed for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns this season with just 6 interceptions as the quarterback on the best team in the Country.
If any player could win over the committee, it's Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia after the Commodores' special season. Pavia has led Vanderbilt to a 10-2 season passing for 3,192 yards while rushing for 826 yards with 36 total touchdowns.
Julian Sayin had a great chance to win the award coming into the weekend, but after losing to Fernando Mendoza in the Big Ten Championship, his chances took a massive hit. In his first season as the Buckeyes' starter, Sayin has passed for 3,323 yards and 31 touchdowns.