Heisman Trophy finalists 2025: Meet the four candidates for college football's top award

Daniel Mader

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Heisman Trophy finalists 2025: Meet the four candidates for college football's top award image

The best player in college football for the 2025 season will soon be crowned.

With the College Football Playoff and bowl games looming, the time has arrived to break down the race for the Heisman Trophy, the highest honor for a collegiate football player. The winner will be announced in New York soon, but first, a group of finalists was named Monday night.

After a cornerback-wide receiver hybrid, Travis Hunter, won the Heisman in 2024, this year’s list of contenders is dominated by quarterbacks. From a pair of Big Ten standouts who went head-to-head in the conference title game to an SEC passer who was at New Mexico State just two years ago, there’s plenty to know about the new Heisman finalists.

Meet the four remaining candidates for this season’s top individual college football award, the Heisman Trophy.

MORE: The full 2025 College Football Playoff bracket, final rankings

Heisman finalists 2025

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Comp-Att (Pct)Pass ydsAVGPass TDsINTsRatingRush ydsRush TDs
226-316 (71.5%)2,9809.4336181.42406

Last year, the Indiana Hoosiers found a ton of success, making the first 12-team playoff under Curt Cignetti. This year, they've somehow improved to become a best-of-the-best kind of squad, and an offseason quarterback change has helped spark that.

After Kurtis Rourke departed, Cignetti brought in former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza to lead his 2025 offense — and it now looks like perhaps the best portal acquisition of the cycle. Mendoza has been efficient and effective throughout the regular season, leading the Hoosiers to their perfect 13-0 record entering the CFP.

On the year, Mendoza's displayed his chops as an elite pocket passer, throwing 33 touchdowns (1st in NCAA) vs. Just six interceptions with a completion percentage north of 70%. He hasn't always been flashy, but if there's one thing Mendoza's excelled at in 2025, it's managing Indiana's offense to a win with his arm.

As Indiana looks to take things a step further, contending for a national title after winning the Big Ten, Mendoza will have more work to do on a bigger stage before he likely heads to the NFL. But arguably no quarterback in the country has boosted their individual stock quite like Mendoza this season — and he may win a Heisman Trophy because of it.

Heisman Moment

Mendoza's success should all be fresh in voters' minds. He’s coming off the biggest win of his college career. Indiana won the Big Ten championship over Ohio State, a historic victory for the Hoosiers in many ways, as Mendoza had 222 passing yards, a touchdown pass and an interception in the win over the Buckeyes.

While that was Mendoza's top highlight from a team perspective, his true “Heisman moment” likely came earlier in the year. The Hoosiers were trailing 24-20 during the fourth quarter in Happy Valley on Nov. 8, with their undefeated start in peril. With under two minutes remaining, Indiana got the ball, needing a touchdown to take the lead on the road.

Mendoza orchestrated a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in an unreal 3rd-and-goal play from the 7-yard line. Just as he was about to take a big hit, he flipped a touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr., who made a terrific play to get his foot in the end zone. The receiver's catch was a highlight in itself, but Mendoza's excellence was on display throughout the entire drive, which gave Indiana a 27-24 win and improved its record to 10-0.

MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NEWS:

Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State

Comp-Att (Pct)Pass ydsAVGPass TDsINTsRatingRush ydsRush TDs
279-356 (78.4%)3,3239.3316182.1-20

Elsewhere at the top of the Big Ten, Ohio State remained a powerhouse in 2025 as the defending national champion, and that can also be partially attributed to a new face at quarterback. Julian Sayin stepped in for the Buckeyes after Will Howard left for the NFL, and as a sophomore, Sayin cemented himself as Ryan Day's next QB1.

Being paired with arguably the best weapons in the country shouldn’t be a knock on Sayin's Heisman case; he’s run the Ohio State offense with precision all year. On six occasions, Sayin topped 300 passing yards in a game, totaled just six interceptions over 356 attempts, and posted an unreal 78.4% completion rate this season. Like Mendoza, Sayin wasn’t exactly thrilling fans with his athleticism, but rather with his arm and his ability to distribute the football.

Sayin's 3,323 passing yards rank 11th in the country, and his 31 touchdown passes are tied for second.

There are plenty of reasons the Buckeyes won 12 of 13 games, including 11 wins by multiple scores in 2025. Elite wide receivers, championship experience, and a star-studded defense were some of them, but Sayin also deserves a ton of credit. It’s not easy for a sophomore quarterback to put up the numbers he did, regardless of the offense he’s playing in — and Sayin's arm has now put him squarely in the Heisman conversation.

Heisman Moment

Considering Ohio State's wins were almost all in dominant fashion, take your pick for a Sayin performance. He threw four touchdown passes in wins over Grambling, Wisconsin and Penn State.

However, two performances seem to stand out a bit above the rest, and they were the first and last weeks of the regular season. In Week 1, Sayin guided Ohio State to a win in his starting debut, defeating Arch Manning and a Texas Longhorns team that came in ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll. Even with Texas not remaining an "elite" squad all year, the win remained huge in hindsight for the Buckeyes.

Sayin had 126 yards and a touchdown pass in the win over Texas.

Of course, there's no bigger matchup for an Ohio State quarterback than facing Michigan in "The Game." Sayin had an even better performance against the 15th-ranked Wolverines, throwing for 233 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as the Buckeyes cruised to a 27-9 win.

MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NEWS:

Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt

Comp-Att (Pct)Pass ydsAVGPass TDsINTsRatingRush ydsRush TDs
242-340 (71.2%)3,1929.4178171.58268

Vanderbilt has never had a Heisman Trophy winner. Could Diego Pavia be the first?

The Commodores' quarterback emerged as a budding star in 2025, a former New Mexico State passer in Conference USA who transferred to Vanderbilt in 2024. Since then, Pavia has continued to level up, leading to a 36-total-touchdown campaign in 2025 as the Commodores became a legitimate SEC threat.

The senior quarterback added nine rushing scores and 826 yards on the ground to his 27 touchdown passes, lifting the Vanderbilt offense. For the first time ever, the Commodores won double-digit games in 2025, including ranked victories over South Carolina, LSU, Missouri and Tennessee.

While Vanderbilt couldn't quite squeeze into the bottom of the CFP bracket because of losses to Alabama and Texas, Clark Lea's squad had an all-time season for the program — and Pavia can be thanked for the team's offense excellence. Of the Heisman finalist quarterbacks, Pavia was the biggest dual-threat star.

Heisman Moment

Pavia had two games in 2025 with six total touchdowns. While he was also terrific in four wins over ranked opponents, there were two matchups where Pavia's skills were on full display.

On September 27, Pavia threw for 321 yards, five touchdown passes and an interception, also running for 59 yards and a touchdown, in a 55-35 win over Utah State. While that wasn't the Commodores' best competition of the year, Pavia was doing it all.

Once again on Nov. 22, facing Kentucky, Pavia filled the stat sheet. He had just six incompletions, throwing for 484 yards, five touchdowns and an interception, also rushing for 48 yards and a touchdown.

MORE: Picks, predictions for college football bowl games

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

CarriesRush ydsRush TDsYPCCatchesRec ydsRec TDs
1991,372186.9272803

College football fans were already fairly familiar with Jeremiyah Love entering 2025, as the running back had 19 total touchdowns in 2024 for the runner-up in the national championship last January. But in his junior season, Love was even better for Notre Dame.

He took his 199 carries for 1,372 yards in 2025, finishing fourth in rushing across the country. Love's 18 rushing touchdowns were the third-most in college football, and he added 280 receiving yards and another three scores through the air.

The Irish's offense was all about the run game this year, with Love leading the way. While a snub from the College Football Playoff hurt Notre Dame, also meaning fans have likely seen the last of Love in college football, his 2025 season was one to celebrate.

The presumption is that Love will be heading to the NFL next spring as the top running back off the board in the first round of the draft. There's a reason for that — he's cemented himself as college football's current premier rushing weapon, a big play waiting to happen.

Heisman Moment

Notre Dame got off to a 0-2 start in 2025, with its playoff hopes quickly evaporating — until they were back alive with four straight wins. Entering an October game against 20th-ranked USC, the Irish needed a win to continue contending for the CFP, and a ranked foe was a strong way to make that statement.

Love had his best performance of the season, rushing for 228 yards and a touchdown with five catches for 37 yards through the air. As Notre Dame claimed a 34-24 win, Love was running free. He also had one of the best hurdles of the 2025 season.

MORE: Why did Notre Dame miss the CFP?

Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia

Comp-Att (Pct)Pass ydsAVGPass TDsINTsRatingRush ydsRush TDs
251-355 (70.7%)2,6917.6235152.94428

Gunner Stockton, like Mendoza and Sayin, was yet another effective passer from one of the best teams in the country this season. He took on Georgia's QB1 role in 2025 and has been as advertised, throwing for 2,691 yards and running for an additional 442 in the Bulldogs' 13 games.

Georgia finished the season on a nine-game win streak, including a dominant SEC Championship performance to beat Alabama. Stockton is pretty comparable to Sayin in the fact that Georgia also boasts a strong defense and weapons, but the Bulldogs quarterback also led those weapons well.

Stockton showed off some dual-threat skills over the course of Georgia's season, rushing for eight touchdowns. He was often at his best in his team's biggest games, such as an overtime win over Tennessee, a one-score win over Ole Miss, a blowout win over Texas and the SEC title game.

Georgia didn't have any players top 1,000 rushing or receiving yards this season, yet its offense was still one of the SEC's best. Stockton can be thanked for that, taking on Kirby Smart's unit as the starter in 2025 and keeping the Bulldogs in title contention.

Heisman Moment

There was no bigger stage for Stockton this season than last weekend, when Georgia was pitted against one of its true rivals in the SEC Championship game. While Stockton had some elite performances in top-10 matchups in the regular season — including 304 passing yards and three total touchdowns vs. Tennessee and 289 passing yards and five total touchdowns vs. Ole Miss — he made quick work of Alabama with the stakes at their highest.

As Georgia breezed through the Crimson Tide for a 28-7 win and SEC title, Stockton completed 20 of his 26 passes for 156 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 39 yards on the ground as well.

MORE: Ranking the 12 College Football Playoff teams 

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