Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has become the first Indiana Hoosier to win of the Heisman Trophy, prevailing against his fellow nominees Julian Sayin, Diego Pavia and Jeremiyah Love.
Mendoza has been racking up awards ever since he became a Hoosier, leading the team to its first Big Ten Championship since the 1960s. Winning the Heisman Trophy puts Mendoza in line with some illustrious names that have put their stamp on the NFL. Both Travis Hunter and Jayden Daniels, who won the award in 2024 and 2023, respectively, were picked second overall in their NFL drafts.
Following Mendoza's journey through the season in EA Sports College Football 26 shows his consistent development. He initially started out with 87 OVR, which included some attributes in the 90s, such as Awareness, Injury, Stamina, Toughness, Throw Power and Throw Accuracy Mid.
By Week 9, Mendoza had already added another seven points to his OVR, reaching 94. Growth primarily took place in the Passing attribute, where he gained a total of 34 points across almost all of the available metrics. Throw Accuracy Short and Play Action grew by eight points, making the largest contributions.
Week 12 saw Mendoza reach even loftier heights with Throw Under Pressure also breaking into the 90s and Awareness approaching the maximum possible value. He finally cracked 96 OVR during the Week 15 ratings update with another handful of points to Throw Under Pressure -- this stat grew by 16 points since the game's launch, showing Mendoza's capability to perform well under pressure and not let his nerves get in the way. Awareness and Play Action share the honor of being his best stats with 97 points each.
Of Mendoza's rivals for the Heisman Trophy only one was ranked above him in CFB 26, with Jeremiyah Love sitting on 97 OVR. Both Sayin and Pavia are currently rated at 93 OVR.
