Jeremiyah Love, Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia and Julian Sayin are the top four finalists for the 2025 Heisman Trophy. The winner will be announced at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 13, on ABC.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s finalists.
📚 HEISMAN HISTORY: Top three finishers all-time | Closest voting finishes | Teams with most winners
Finalists sorted alphabetically by last name.
Jeremiyah Love — RB, Notre Dame
Though the Fighting Irish missed out on a College Football Playoff spot, RB Jeremiyah Love proved himself as an elite back in his junior season, passing Jerome Bettis to claim the Notre Dame program record for most touchdowns in a single season (21) and tying Audric Estimé for the most rushing touchdowns in a season (18).
He finished fourth in the FBS with 1,372 rushing yards, and his 18 rushing touchdowns were good for third in the country. His 6.9 yards per carry tied for first among all players with at least 150 rushing attempts (Robert Henry Jr., UTSA).
👉 ALL-TIME: College football single-season rushing yard leaders
Fernando Mendoza — QB, Indiana
The Cal transfer has arguably been the most important puzzle piece of Indiana’s dominant season. Mendoza leads the nation with 33 passing touchdowns, and he has only thrown six interceptions all season. While his total passing yards don’t match some of the other QBs on this list, he is the only QB in the country to lead his team to a 13-0 record.
Diego Pavia — QB, Vanderbilt
There’s no denying that Diego Pavia’s arrival at Vanderbilt last season was a turning point for the Commodores’ football program. In two seasons, he has helped lift Vandy from being a perennial bottom-feeder in the SEC to a serious contender. His 2025 heroics ultimately led the Commodores to their first-ever 10-win season in program history. Though they came up just short of the College Football Playoff, Vanderbilt finished No. 14 in the final CFP rankings.
Pavia finished with 27 passing touchdowns, 3,192 passing yards and eight interceptions on the season, and he added nine touchdowns and 826 yards on the ground as a dual-threat QB.
Julian Sayin — QB, Ohio State
Julian Sayin had big shoes to fill behind Will Howard’s national championship season in 2024-25, but the sophomore QB rose to the task, leading the Buckeyes to a 12-0 regular season. His 31 passing TDs, 3,323 passing yards and six interceptions are among the best in the country, and his 78.4 completion percentage leads the FBS.
But perhaps the biggest boost to his resume came in Rivalry Week when Sayin went 19 for 26, throwing 233 yards and three passing touchdowns and one INT against that team up north, as he led the Buckeyes to their first win over Michigan since 2019.