MAIN Sports College Football Heisman Trophy

It will be an early holiday celebration for college football fans when the 91st annual Heisman Trophy ceremony honors a new college football champion this year on December 13th.

As usual, Hieman voting will begin in November. The big four finalists will be announced on Monday, December 8 -- leading up to this year's Heisman Trophy winner announced on ESPN live from New York City on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 8PM ET.

Just up ahead, check out this year's major Heisman contenders, along with Heisman history, fun facts, and related resources around the web.

Plus keep it here for updates including the announcement of top finalists and the ultimate winner of the 2025 Heisman prize.

Heisman Trophy 2025 contenders

Top-ranked Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Hoosier quarterback led Indiana’s first-ever undefeated season with three touchdowns, 144 yards and a 56-3 win at Purdue,

Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback helped complete an undefeated regular season, along with Indiana the only two teams to accomplish the feat this season.

Top contenders for the 2025 Heisman Trophy include (left to right) Indiana's Fernando Mendoza,
Ohio State's Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt Commodore's Diego Pavia and Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love.

Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia, led his team this year to 10 wins for the first time in program history.

Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame running back, finished the regular season among top players in rushing yards (1,372), amd rushing touchdowns (18) as Notre Dame ended the regular season with a 10-game winning streak.

DID YOU KNOW? - Heisman Trophy trivia & fun facts

College football coach, John W. Heisman.

• Awarding a talented college football player with the Heisman Trophy dates back to 1935 when its first recipient, University of Chicago running back Jay Berwanger, was awarded the inaugural Heisman Trophy.

• The Heisman Memorial Trophy is named in honor of college football coach John W. Heisman, athletic director of the New York Downtown Athletic Club.

• The cast bronze trophy is 13.5 inches tall and weighs 25 lbs. The model for the trophy was Ed Smith, a player for New York University in 1934.

• Today, there are a total of 928 ballots cast in the awarding of the Heisman Trophy. Most are cast by sports journalists located in six regions throughout the US -- along with former Heisman winners who are also eligible to vote.

• Famous African-American Heisman Trophy winners include Syracuse University halfback Ernie Davis who won 1961. He was followed by running back Mike Garrett who took home the Heisman in 1965. O.J. Simpson was the third in 1968.

• Archie Griffin became the only person to win twice with two consecutive awards in 1974 and 1975.

• Other notable recipients include Tim Tebow who was the only sophomore (2007); Johnny Manziel the only freshman (2012); and 19-year-old Jameis Winston who became the youngest player (2013) ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

More about the Heisman Trophy around the Web:

Just up ahead, check out more about the Heisman Trophy with related resources featuring the latest rumors, photos, video highlights, and a bit of Heisman history and trivia...

Heisman.com - 2025 Heisman Trophy - The official site featuring a complete profile & photos on recent award recipients, trophy & award history, statistics, and details on the Heisman awards dinner.

From the legendary to the little-known, Heisman history is never dull - ESPN feature and a good read on Heisman history from 1935 to the present with major highlights, winners, fun facts & Heisman trivia.