Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. It was a commanding victory, as the Heisman Foundation reported:
Mendoza received 2,362 points, including 643 first-place votes. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia finished second with 1,435 points and 189 first-place votes. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love was third with 719 points and 46 first-place votes and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was fourth with 432 points and eight first-place votes.
But it’s not Mendoza grabbing all the headlines. Second-place finisher Diego Pavia is.
Pavia’s a heck of a quarterback, and he’s arguably the best thing that has happened to the football program at Vanderbilt University. Under his leadership, the Commodores, usually one of the least successful teams in the Southeastern Conference, finished the regular season with a 10-2 record.
He’s a talented player, but his character doesn’t match his athletic abilities. When he was playing at New Mexico State before he transferred to Vanderbilt, he urinated on the logo of his team’s in-state rival, New Mexico, at that team’s indoor practice facility because the Lobos didn’t recruit him out of junior college.
Pavia is mouthy, and he loves the attention that playing for a team like Vandy gets him. In one Instagram reel, a reporter asked him for a bracket-style ranking of which of two players was the greatest college football player of all time. Pavia misunderstood the question and replied that he was the greatest.
His mom loves the attention, too. She went on a date with comedian and podcaster Theo Von, and Von stood by her side to honor Pavia at Vanderbilt’s Senior Day game. At one point, Pavia joked that he would let Von keep the Heisman Trophy in his podcasting studio if he won — or maybe he wasn’t kidding.
As the season went on, Pavia began to campaign for himself for the Heisman. In his mind, it was a foregone conclusion that the trophy belonged in his hands. It was unseemly yet completely on-brand for the quarterback. His play eventually earned him a spot among the finalists.
Pavia and his brothers arrived at the ceremony looking like Jersey Shore rejects, and for all their efforts at playing douchebag dress-up, Mendoza won the trophy. Pavia didn’t take the loss too well.
"F**K All THE VOTERS," Pavia wrote Saturday night on his Instagram story with a thumbs-down emoji and photos of him with his brothers and him with his offensive linemen, "BUT.....FAMILY FOR LIFE." Later, Pavia partied and threw up a middle finger next to a sign that read, “F**k Indiana.”
By Sunday, Pavia had changed his tune. He issued an apology on X:
Being a part of the Heisman ceremony last night as a finalist was such an honor. As a competitor, just like in everything I do I wanted to win. To be so close to my dream and come up short was painful. I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to. I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry.
Fernando Mendoza is an elite competitor and a deserving winner of the award. I have nothing but respect for his accomplishments as well as the success that Jeremiyah and Julian had this season.
I’ve been doubted my whole life. Every step of my journey I’ve had to break down doors and fight for myself, because I've learned that nothing would be handed to me. My family has always been in my corner, and my teammates, coaches and staff have my six. I love them — I am grateful for them. — and I wouldn’t want anything to distract from that. I look forward to competing in front of my family and with my team one more time in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
The Mount Saint Helens X account, which is a brilliant parody page, roasted Pavia with its reply:
*I realize my actions are causing my draft stock to tank because I’m a selfish ash hole (like me). So someone advised me to try and salvage any sense of being a future nfl quarterback. I will continue to be ungrateful ash hole moving forward but I just need to secure a bag first
— Mt. St. Helens (@MtStHelensWA) December 15, 2025
Pavia needs to discover humility. Finishing second in the Heisman voting is an achievement most players would celebrate for a lifetime. Instead, he treated it like a personal insult. If Pavia doesn’t learn how to lose with grace, the NFL will be happy to teach him — repeatedly.
Talent Gets You Invited. Character Decides If You Stay.
Diego Pavia didn’t lose the Heisman because he wasn’t good enough. He lost it — and then embarrassed himself afterward — because college football still understands something our culture keeps pretending doesn’t matter: character counts.
This isn’t about clutching pearls. It’s about accountability, humility, and why the Heisman Trophy is still supposed to mean more than highlight reels and Instagram swagger.
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