Heisman Trophy winner shouts out Miami, Columbus High in acceptance speech
Miami native Fernando Mendoza emotionally accepted the 2025 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, college football’s highest individual award. Not only is he the Indiana Hoosiers’ first winner, but during his inspirational speech he thanked his hometown and high school that grew him into one of the nation’s top athletes.
“If you told me as a kid in Miami that I’d be here on stage holding this prestigious trophy, I probably would have laughed, cried [like I’m doing now], or both, because this moment, it’s an honor. It’s bigger than me,” Mendoza said during the ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City.
Along with thanking the Hoosier nation and his football program, which is the No. 1 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff, he also took time to give a shoutout to Coach Dave Dunn and Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, where he attended and honed the craft of football.
“Thank you to Coach Dave Dunn and to Christopher Columbus High School for giving me a home, a dream to follow, and, more importantly, a brotherhood. Adelante,” he said.
Mendoza had had just one scholarship offer from a major-conference school, and that came from Cal just one day before National Signing Day.
He played two seasons with the Golden Bears and holds the career record for completion percentage. He entered the transfer portal and picked Indiana, where he reunited with his brother, Alberto, a backup quarterback.
At Indiana University, Cuban-American Quarterback Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 record and the university’s first Big Ten football title since 1967. They have a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
As a Columbus sophomore, Mendoza started out as a fourth-stringer and had to wait his turn behind Brandon McDuffie, a senior captain in 2019. That season, McDuffie led the Explorers to the first state title in program history.
The other finalists were Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love.
This story was originally published December 13, 2025 at 9:14 PM.
%20Cropped%20(2).jpg)