Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia — the top candidates to receive the Heisman Trophy — are set to make history Saturday.
Why it matters: Either would be only the third Latino player ever to win the coveted honor given to college football's best player, but Mendoza would be the first Cuban American to take it.
The big picture: Mendoza and Pavia were among the four players named as finalists for the Heisman Trophy.
- The other finalists are Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.
Mendoza was named Associated Press player of the year on Thursday after leading unbeaten and top-ranked Indiana to its first Big Ten championship since 1967 and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
- Mendoza has thrown for a Bowl Subdivision-leading 33 touchdowns and run for six, giving him a school-record 39 TDs.
- The Miami-born Mendoza is the grandson of Cuban immigrants and has cited his Cuban ancestry as crucial for his love of football.
Pavia only played two seasons for the Commodores, but he's cemented himself as one of the best players in program history. He's the first Vandy player to be named a Heisman finalist.
- Pavia threw 27 touchdowns and rushed for nine more to lead the Commodores to a 10-2 record.
- The Albuquerque, N.M.-born Pavia received no scholarship offers from any NCAA Division I schools after his high school career.
- But he gained a following among Mexican Americans, especially after he led Vanderbilt to an upset victory over No. 1 Alabama last year. His collegiate career was extended thanks to a landmark legal challenge,
State of play: The historic seasons for Mendoza and Pavia come as nearly two in three Latinos say it's a bad time to be Latino or Hispanic in the U.S., an Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in partnership with Noticias Telemundo found.
- The survey shows that Latinos' overall sense of optimism, safety and belonging has plunged across several measures since President Trump took office.
Flashback: Stanford quarterback Jim Plunkett became the first Latino to win the Heisman Trophy in 1970, and later became the first Mexican American quarterback to win a Super Bowl with Mexican American coach Tom Flores with the Oakland Raiders.
- Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, whose grandfather was born in Mexico, became the second Latino to win the Heisman in 2021.
What's next: The winner will be announced at a ceremony Saturday night. It will air at 6 pm Central on ABC.
