Mendoza Becomes Indiana’s Inaugural Davey O’Brien Award Winner

FORT WORTH, Texas (Dec. 12, 2025) – Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza has been voted the 2025 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award winner, becoming the first Hoosier to lift the nation’s oldest and most prestigious quarterback trophy. Indiana becomes the 26th different school to have a Davey O’Brien Award winner.

Mendoza is the first recipient from the Big Ten Conference since Ohio State’s Troy Smith in 2006. It is the second straight year that a transfer quarterback won the Davey O’Brien Award in his first season with a team (Cameron Ward, Miami).

Heading into the college football postseason, Mendoza, a junior, leads the nation in passing touchdowns with 33. Additionally, he ranks second in both points responsible for (234) and passing efficiency (181.4), third in total QBR (88.5) and sixth in completion percentage (.715). Overall, he is 226-for-316 passing for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns against six interceptions. He also has rushed 69 times for 240 yards and six more scores. His 39 touchdowns accounted for are a single-season school record.

Mendoza enjoyed four games completing at least 85 percent of his passes, including three games topping 90 percent. He also threw four or more passing touchdowns five times. Against then-No. 9 Illinois on Sept. 20, he completed 21 of 23 passes (91.3 percent) for 267 yards and five touchdowns, while he was 22-for-24 for 299 yards and four touchdowns against Wisconsin on Nov. 15. The Hoosiers are the nation’s lone unbeaten team at 13-0 and are the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoffs.

On Thursday, Mendoza was named the Associated Press Player of the Year. He previously earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback of the Year accolades in addition to being named First-Team All-Big Ten. Mendoza is currently a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. He was named to the weekly Davey O’Brien Great 8 three times during the year.

Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin were award finalists alongside Mendoza. National selection committee members (media, college football experts and former winners) ranked each player (1st, 2nd, 3rd) on their ballots. Additionally, bonus ballots from the Davey O’Brien Fan Vote were added based on social media fan votes recorded on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The announcement was made live on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN. Mendoza will be honored in person at the 49th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

--www.DaveyOBrienAward.com—