Overview
- Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza won the 2025 Heisman decisively with 2,362 points and 643 first-place votes, while Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia finished second with 1,435 points and 189 first-place votes.
- Pavia reposted an Instagram image telling “F*** all the voters” shortly after the ceremony, then apologized, saying disappointment drove the outburst and he regretted disrespecting the process.
- Heisman voter and Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread called the post “unsportsmanlike” and a “punk move,” noting his ballot matched the final order of Mendoza, Pavia, and Jeremiyah Love.
- Media voices such as Josh Pate argued voters were swayed by late impressions rather than full-season evaluation, citing the post–championship odds swing and Pavia’s heavier statistical load for Vanderbilt.
- Vanderbilt now prepares for Iowa in the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl, and Newsweek reported the incident could register as a minor negative data point for NFL evaluators.