2025 Heisman Trophy preview and predictions

Ryan Lomanto, Sports Editor

December 12, 2025

The Lincoln Center in New York City hosts one of the most prestigious award shows in sports: The Heisman Trophy ceremony. On Dec. 13, the award will be given to who the committee says is the best college football player from this season. This year, the candidates are Indiana University’s Fernando Mendoza (QB), Vanderbilt University’s Diego Pavia (QB), The University of Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love (RB), and The Ohio State University’s Julian Sayin (QB), according to ESPN. The four candidates are all vying for a chance to become the 90th winner of the Heisman Trophy.

Fernando Mendoza: Quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers

Fernando Mendoza is the frontrunner to win the biggest award in college football, according to The Athletic. Mendoza may have the best resume out of any of the finalists this season. This season, the quarterback led the Hoosiers to a 13-0 regular season record, their first undefeated season in program history, with most notable wins over No. 23 Iowa, No. 5 Oregon, and No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Football Championship Game— a title that the program had not won in nearly half a century.

According to ESPN, during the regular season, Mendoza led the country in passing touchdowns with 33 — a new Indiana school record. His passer rating was 181.4, which ranks him second nationally. Mendoza secured the Hoosiers the No. 1 seed and a bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff. As well, Mendoza was recently named 2025 AP player of the year .

Diego Pavia: Quarterback for the Vanderbilt Commodores

Diego Pavia had a great season and was already selected as the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Pavia is the first player in Vanderbilt program history to be named as a Heisman finalist.

He led the Commodores to a 10-2 regular season record — the first double-digit victory season in program history — and a school-record six SEC wins. The team reached a final College Football Playoff ranking of No. 14.

Pavia was one of the most statistically dominant players in the country, which is especially impressive in a challenging SEC conference. Pavia set new school season records for passing yards, touchdown passes, and total offensive yards. He also led the team in rushing yards. Pavia led the SEC in total offensive yards with 4,018 (second nationally), total touchdowns (27 passing and 9 rushing), passing touchdowns, completion percentage (71.2%), passer rating (171.5, ranking him fourth nationally).

Jeremiyah Love: Running back for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

As the only finalist who isn’t a quarterback, Running Back Jeremiyah Love’s statistical efficiency and sheer game-breaking ability made voters restore balance to the award and recognize the true definition of a spectacular individual season. According to ESPN, Love finished the regular season with 1,372 rushing yards, ranking him fourth nationally, and totaled 1,652 yards from scrimmage (also top five nationally).

Love had a significant impact on the Notre Dame offense, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, placing him in the top five nationally among all backs who have over 150 attempts. Love didn’t just move the chains; he found the end zone with historic regularity. He finished the season with 18 rushing touchdowns (tied for third nationally), which tied the Notre Dame single-season rushing touchdown record. When factoring in his receiving touchdowns, his total reached 21 touchdowns (18 rush, 3 receiving), ranking him second nationally among all players and setting a new single-season Notre Dame record for total touchdowns, surpassing the mark held by the legendary Jerome Bettis.

Julian Sayin Quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes

Sayin’s greatest attribute is his accuracy, an area where he didn’t just lead the nation, he rewrote history. Sayin finished the regular season leading the nation with a 78.4% completion percentage, which passes the previous all-time NCAA record of 77.4% set by Bo Nix (The University of Oregon) in 2023. He paired his accuracy with an exceptional 31:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His 31 passing touchdowns are tied for second nationally, showing that the Buckeyes were one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country and a mainstay in the College Football Playoff conversation as the No. 3 seed. His 182.1 Passer Rating also led the nation, proving that his completions kept the Ohio State offense firing on all cylinders all season.

Sayin’s ability to deliver this record-setting statistical profile as a redshirt freshman in his first year as a full-time starter for the most high-pressured program in the country showcases a maturity and poise beyond his years. He handled this immense pressure of replacing Will Howard, a Heisman-contending quarterback, and led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a stellar 12-1 record. Sayin passed for over 3,500 yards while facing a tough Big Ten schedule and consistently delivered big moments in hostile environments.

Sports Editors Heisman Winner Predictions:

Ryan Lomanto: Fernando Mendoza

Nathan Faber: Diego Pavia

Ben Perlman: Jeremiyah Love

Matthew Rilli: Fernando Mendoza

Joseph Saco: Diego Pavia

Staff Heisman Winner Predictions:

Jeff Jasper: Diego Pavia

Michael Sherman: Julian Sayin

Russ Grier: Fernando Mendoza

Jonathan Rose: Fernando Mendoza

Luciano Cofrancesco: Fernando Mendoza