Indiana football’s Fernando Mendoza was named a Heisman Trophy finalist, according to the Heisman Trophy Trust’s release Monday night. All major sportsbooks have the redshirt junior quarterback is the current betting favorite to win the award.
Vanderbilt University quarterback Diego Pavia, University of Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin are the three other finalists.
The winner of the award will be revealed during a ceremony at 8 p.m. Saturday at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City.
Mendoza became the second Hoosier ever to be named a finalist, joining running back Anthony Thompson, who played at Indiana from 1986-89. Thompson finished second in the voting in 1989 to University of Houston quarterback Andre Ware.
Former Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, Mendoza’s predecessor, finished ninth in the Heisman voting in his lone season with the Hoosiers in 2024.
Mendoza has completed 71.5% of his passes for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns — the most nationally — while tossing just six interceptions. He tallied 240 yards rushing and six touchdowns.
The Miami native led the Hoosiers to their first Big Ten Championship since 1967 with their victory over then-No. 1 Ohio State on Dec. 6. He completed 15 of his 23 passes for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Buckeyes.
After spending three seasons at the University of California, Berkeley, Mendoza transferred to Indiana last December. Second-year Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti praised Mendoza throughout the season, saying he prepares harder than any player he’s ever coached.
And Cignetti weighed in on whether he thinks Mendoza should win the award.
“I think it’s pretty much a no-brainer,” Cignetti said after Indiana defeated Ohio State.
Mendoza previously earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors last week while being named the leagues’ Greise-Brees Quarteback of the Year and the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year.
After guiding the Hoosiers to their first 12-0 regular season and a Big Ten Championship, Mendoza will now aim to lead the program to its first national championship.
Indiana’s path begins against either the No. 8 University of Oklahoma or No. 9 University of Alabama at 4 p.m. Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
