QBs Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia, Julian Sayin among Heisman finalists

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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love are headed to New York this weekend after being selected as finalists for the Heisman Trophy on Monday.

The winner will be revealed Saturday at the annual Heisman Trophy dinner.

Mendoza is seen as the favorite to bag the award after leading the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record, a Big Ten championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Mendoza and Sayin just went head to head Saturday night when Indiana defeated Ohio State 13-10 for the conference title. Mendoza had 222 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. Sayin finished with 258 passing yards, one TD and one pick as the Buckeyes took their first loss of the year and settled for the No. 2 playoff seed.

Mendoza, who transferred from Cal after last season, racked up 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns and only six interceptions while completing 71.5% of his passes for Indiana. He added 240 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

Sayin, in his first season starting for the Buckeyes, threw for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns and six picks this season. He completed an FBS-best 78.4% of his throws.

Pavia, like Mendoza, engineered a turnaround for a football program that historically has known little success. It was Pavia’s second season for the Commodores after starting his career at New Mexico State. He threw for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for 826 yards and nine TDs in 2025.

Love ranked fourth in the country with 1,372 rushing yards and third nationally with 18 rushing touchdowns over 12 games. He added 27 catches for 280 yards and three receiving TDs.

–Field Level Media