Four finalists will step under the lights Saturday night when running back Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame and quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza of Indiana, Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt and Julian Sayin of Ohio State gather for the 91st Heisman Trophy ceremony.
Among the finalists, few stories have been more surprising than Pavia’s rise in Nashville. In just two seasons, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, native transformed a Vanderbilt program long known more for academics and baseball than football into a national contender. Pavia led the Commodores to a 10-2 record this season, marking the first 10-win campaign in school history.
A graduate student transfer from New Mexico State, Pavia finished the season with 3,192 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 71.2% of his passes. He also led Vanderbilt in rushing with 826 yards and nine touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the nation’s most productive dual-threat quarterbacks.
Pavia set school records for passing yards and touchdowns in a season and became the first SEC player to post four consecutive games with at least 400 yards of total offense.
While Sayin and Mendoza thrived alongside deep collections of skill talent and strong defenses, Pavia carried much of the load for Vanderbilt. Ohio State’s Sayin benefited from elite weapons and the nation’s top-ranked defense, while Indiana’s Mendoza played behind one of the Big Ten’s most balanced rosters. Vanderbilt’s defense, by comparison, ranked in the middle of the pack nationally, leaving little margin for error.
Pavia rarely had the luxury of sitting out late-game snaps or leaning on a dominant run game. Instead, he was Vanderbilt’s primary engine, asked to create weekly in the SEC.
The Heisman Trophy honors excellence, but it also reflects impact. By that measure, Pavia’s influence has been undeniable, reshaping expectations and elevating a program that had been dormant for decades.
Whether that transformation is enough to sway voters will be revealed when the trophy is presented Saturday night. The award will be presented Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. ET at Lincoln Center in New York City, with the ceremony airing on ABC.
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