Overview
- Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza captured the 2025 Heisman decisively with 643 first-place votes and 2,362 points, while Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia finished runner-up with 189 first-place votes and 1,435 points.
- Posts and videos from New York showed Pavia holding a sign reading “F**k Indiana” and sharing an Instagram story saying “F— all the voters,” drawing swift public criticism.
- Pavia later posted a lengthy statement on X apologizing for disrespecting voters and calling Mendoza a deserving winner.
- Pavia’s season fueled Vanderbilt’s rise to 10-2, as he completed 71.2% of his passes for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns and added 826 rushing yards with nine scores.
- Attention now turns to Vanderbilt’s ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Iowa on Dec. 31 in Tampa and to Pavia’s Senior Bowl and NFL evaluations, as online debate over listed player measurements continues.