I’m at a loss of words. Thank you to everybody. First, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to chase a dream that once felt a world away,” Mendoza said while next to the trophy. “Standing here tonight and holding this bad boy, representing Indiana University, still doesn’t feel real.”
Mendoza’s football resume was stacked with notable accomplishments. He led the Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 record, to the university’s first Big Ten football title since 1967 and helped book the No. 1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff. He was also named the Associated Press player of the year and won the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback.
“If you told me, as a kid in Miami, that I would be here on stage, holding this prestigious trophy, I probably would have laughed, cried like I’m doing now, or both,” Mendoza said. “Because this moment, it’s an honor, it’s bigger than me. It’s a product of a family, a team, community and a whole lot of people who believed in me long before anybody knew my name.”
It was almost exactly a year ago to the day when Mendoza traded his Northern California digs for the Midwest sprawl of Indiana.
And on Saturday, the move paid off with the 22-year-old winning the 91st edition of the Heisman Trophy at New York City’s Lincoln Center.
The junior quarterback threw for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns while adding six more scores on the ground this season.
Mendoza gave credit to the school and his teammates for the honor.
“Congrats to all my teammates. My brothers. This is our trophy. I love you guys more than you know,”
“This trophy might have my name on it but it belongs to all of you. It belongs … first time in Bloomington. Playing in front of Hoosier nation is one of the greatest privileges of my life. And I’ll carry that forever.”
With his family looking upon, Mendoza thanked his parents, especially his mother.
“I was only a two-star prospect, only had one scholarship offer. But my family’s unconditional love and belief kept me going and pushing me forward. These are the people who built me long before football did,” Mendoza said.
“Mommy, this is your trophy as much as it is mine,” he said as the ESPN broadcast showed Elsa Mendoza proudly listening to her son on stage, holding back her tears.
“You’ve always been my biggest fan. You’re my light. You’re my why. You’re my biggest supporter. Your sacrifices encouraged love. Those have been my playbook and the playbook I’m going to carry through my side for my entire life.”
A Cuban American whose grandparents immigrated from Cuba, Mendoza gave a special shout-out in Spanish to Alberto and Alicia Espinoza, who were also in attendance.
After spending his first two seasons as the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears QB, Mendoza entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to play for Cignetti and Indiana University in late December 2024.
What came next was a historic season in which the city of Bloomington, an illustrious college basketball town, caught “HeisMendoza” fever.
“It’s definitely a great honor to be in that (Heisman) conversation, especially with so many great former players and so many great players that are in that conversation right now.
“I honestly always believed in myself and believed in my team. And so I really just try to keep it one game at a time, one practice at a time, in order to then have a small scope in order to get my large goals.”
Mendoza finished with 643 first-place votes.
Source: Jacob Lev, CNN
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