Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the 2025 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first player in the program’s history to accomplish this feat. To celebrate the occasion, several Indiana players traveled to New York to surprise him and congratulate him on the win.
Shortly after he came out of the room where the ceremony was held, Mendoza was surprised by his teammates at the press conference before the formal media portion began. They were already waiting for him with cheers and celebration.
The celebration is doing the rounds on the internet, with one post already receiving over 160K impressions on X.
Not the best quality but Fernando Mendoza’s teammates greeting him at his post Heisman news conference pic.twitter.com/VO2cMNgDU6
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) December 14, 2025
Fernando Mendoza won the 2025 Heisman Trophy over Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia, Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin.
Mendoza led Indiana to a perfect 12-0 record in the regular season and went on to defeat the Buckeyes 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game.
Fernando Mendoza Acknowledged Contribution Of Teammates In Heisman Acceptance Speech
In his acceptance speech, Fernando Mendoza publicly thanked all his teammates. The quarterback said the Heisman Trophy belongs to “all my teammates, my brothers.”
“Congrats to all my teammates, my brothers—this is our trophy,” Mendoza said. “I love you guys more than you know. To my linemen who protected me, every single receiver and tight end that bailed me out, to every running back who fought for more yards and to our defense that gave us that heart, swagger and more second chances than we definitely deserved, this trophy might have my name on it, but it belongs to all of you.”
Mendoza’s down-to-earth nature is one of the reasons why his teammates were so excited about him winning the most coveted award.
However, the job is only half done. Mendoza is now gearing up for the upcoming College Football Playoff, where Indiana enters as the No. 1 seed. It remains to be seen if Mendoza will be able to weave magic in the field and take Indiana to the national championship game.
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