NEW YORK — Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Ohio State quarterback Julian Saine are finalists for the Heisman Trophy awarded to college football’s top player.
Heisman Trophy Trust Fund The four finalists were announced Monday night They were invited to New York for Saturday night’s awards ceremony.
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Love ranked fourth in the Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards (1,372), fifth in rushing yards per game (114.33) and third in rushing touchdowns with 18. The ninth-ranked Fighting Irish missed the College Football Playoff and elected not to participate in a bowl game.
Mendoza led the Hoosiers to their first No. 1 ranking and the No. 1 seed in the 12-team CFP by throwing for a nation-best 2,980 yards and a nation-leading 33 touchdowns while running for six scores.
He is just the second Heisman finalist in school history, joining 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson. Mendoza is Indiana’s seventh player to be ranked in the top 10, marking another first in program history – two straight seasons of players finishing in the top 10. Indiana quarterback Curtis Locke ranked ninth last year.
Pavia threw for a school-record 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns for the No. 13 Commodores. He is the first Heisman finalist in Vanderbilt history.
Sayin led the Buckeyes to No. 1 in passing yards for much of the season with 3,329 yards while tied for second nationally with 31 touchdown passes.
