College football awards 2025: Full list of finalists, winners for Heisman, Walker, Biletnikoff and more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The thrilling 2025 college football regular season has concluded, leaving a wake of unforgettable moments, historic upsets, and dominant individual performances. Now, as the dust settles and the College Football Playoff field is set, the spotlight turns from team standings to the players who defined the year.
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The release of the finalists for college football’s most prestigious annual awards officially kicks off the final leg of the season. The race for the Heisman Memorial Trophy has been one of the most compelling in recent memory, featuring unexpected challengers like Indiana’s transcendent quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Vanderbilt’s dynamic signal-caller Diego Pavia, alongside other elite talents like Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State QB Julian Sayin.
The receiving corps was just as electric, with a fierce battle for the Biletnikoff Award—honoring the nation’s most outstanding receiver—headlined by Ohio State’s phenomenal sophomore Jeremiah Smith and USC’s versatile playmaker Makai Lemon.
It is time to celebrate the athletes who rose above the competition, rewriting record books and delivering iconic performances for their universities.
Here are the complete lists of finalists and announced winners for each of college football’s top individual honors.
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College football awards winners 2025
Awards and finalists listed alphabetically
Award
Category
Winner
Associated Press Player of the Year
Top player
Biletnikoff Award
Top receiver
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Defensive player of the year (judged by FWAA)
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Broyles Award
Top assistant coach
Burlsworth Trophy
Top former walk-on
Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Butkus Award
Top linebacker
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Chuck Bednarik Award
Defensive player of the year (judged by Maxwell Club)
Davey O’Brien Award
Top quarterback
Doak Walker Award
Top running back
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award
Top NCAA Division I coach (judged by FWAA)
George Munger Award
Top NCAA Division I coach (judged by Maxwell Club)
Heisman Trophy
Most outstanding player
Jim Thorpe Award
Top defensive back
Joe Moore Award
Top offensive line
John Mackey Award
Top tight end
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Top upperclassman quarterback
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Lombardi Award
Outstanding college football lineman
Lott IMPACT Trophy
Defensive IMPACT player of the year
Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Lou Groza Award
Top placekicker
Maxwell Award
College player of the year
Outland Trophy
Top interior lineman
Paul Hornung Award
Most versatile player
K.C. Concepcion, Texas A&M
Ray Guy Award
Top punter
Rimington Trophy
Top center
Shaun Alexander Award
Freshman of the year (judged by Maxwell Club)
Sporting News Coach of the Year
College coach of the year
Sporting News Player of the Year
College player of the year
Ted Hendricks Award
Top defensive end
Walter Camp Award
College player of the year
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Walter Camp Coach Award
College coach of the year
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
William V. Campbell Trophy
Academic Heisman
Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
Wuerffel Trophy
Community service award
College football awards finalists 2025Associated Press Player of the Year
Winner:Â TBA (mid-December)
Biletnikoff Award
Finalists:
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Finalists:
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
DE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
Winner:Â Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Broyles Award
Finalists:
Matt Patricia, Ohio State
Winner:Â TBA (Feb. 2026)
Burlsworth Trophy
Finalists:
Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Winner:Â Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Butkus Award
Finalists:
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Winner:Â Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Chuck Bednarik Award
Finalists:
Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Davey O’Brien Award
Finalists:
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
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Doak Walker Award
Finalists:
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Eddie Robinson Award
Finalists:
Bob Chesney, James Madison
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Jerry Mack, Kennesaw State
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 16)
George Munger Award
Finalists
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 30)
Heisman Trophy
Finalists
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 13)
Jim Thorpe Award
Finalists:
Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Joe Moore Award
Finalists:
Winner:Â TBA (mid-to-late December)
John Mackey Award
Finalists:
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Finalists
Haynes King, Georgia Tech
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Winner:Â Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Lombardi Award
Finalists:
David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 10)
Lott IMPACT Trophy
Finalists:
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Winner:Â Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Lou Groza Award
Finalists:
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
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Maxwell Award
Finalists:
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Outland Trophy
Finalists:
Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Paul Hornung Award
Finalists:
Jonah Coleman, Washington
K.C. Concepcion, Texas A&M
Wayne Knight, James Madison
Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
J’Koby Williams, Texas Tech
Winner:Â K.C. Concepcion, Texas A&M
Ray Guy Award
Finalists:
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Rimington Trophy
Finalists:
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)
Shaun Alexander Award
Finalists:
Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Winner:Â Colin Simmons, Texas
Sporting News Coach of the Year
Winner:Â
Sporting News Player of the Year
Winner:Â
Ted Hendricks Award
Winner:Â
Walter Camp Award
Finalists
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Winner: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Walter Camp Coach Award
Finalists
Winner:Â Curt Cignetti, Indiana
William V. Campbell Trophy
Finalists
Robby Ballentine, DePauw (IN)
Jonah Coleman, Washington
Chandler Kirton, Austin Peay
Jack Strand, Minnesota State Moorhead
Andon Thomas, Army West Point
Jackson Waring, Grand View (IA)
Winner:Â Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
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Wuerffel Trophy
Finalists
Winner:Â TBA (Dec. 12)