Highlighting Heisman Front-Runners to Watch in 2025 Race After Week 11
Fernando Mendoza's fourth-quarter heroics in the Indiana Hoosiers' win over the Penn State Nittany Lions added to his Heisman Trophy resume.
Mendoza was in the spotlight on Saturday, while Julian Sayin and the Ohio State Buckeyes took care of the Purdue Boilermakers.
Sayin and Mendoza are the two Heisman front-runners at the moment, but there are still challengers lurking from the SEC.
Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed and Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson continued their strong seasons on Saturday as well.
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
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Fernando Mendoza didn't have the most impressive stat line on Saturday, but he did have a Heisman moment as he led Indiana down the field on a game-winning touchdown drive at Beaver Stadium.
Mendoza threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. to keep Indiana undefeated and on the same pace as Ohio State in the Big Ten.
The Cal transfer finished with 238 total yards and two touchdowns, but Saturday was more about the moment at the end than the totality of the stat line.
Indiana has two regular-season games left against the Wisconsin Badgers and Purdue Boilermakers, both of which the Hoosiers should win comfortably.
That should set Mendoza and Indiana up for a showdown with Sayin and Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game with the Heisman and the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff potentially on the line.
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
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Julian Sayin produced his third straight 300-yard passing game in Saturday's win over Purdue.
Sayin completed 81.8 percent of his passes and threw for 303 yards in the 34-10 victory.
Sayin has two more home games against the UCLA Bruins and Rutgers Scarlet Knights to prepare for Ohio State's biggest game of the season.
Ohio State visits the Michigan Wolverines on November 29 in what will be the first of two tests for Sayin and the Buckeyes offense.
If Sayin shines against Michigan, and then in a potential Big Ten Championship Game showdown with Indiana, the Heisman could be his.
Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M
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Marcel Reed doesn't have the volume of 300-yard passing games as Sayin, but he did just conquer a two-game stretch against ranked opponents.
Reed led Texas A&M to road wins over the LSU Tigers and the Missouri Tigers to keep the Aggies on top of the SEC.
Like Sayin, Reed's biggest remaining regular-season test comes on Thanksgiving weekend. A&M takes on Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns in Austin on November 28.
That will be Reed's opportunity to showcase himself in front of Heisman voters on a national stage.
The two games before the Texas clash will be about keeping up the same offensive consistency Reed has displayed through 11 weeks.
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
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Ty Simpson kept up his consistent level on Saturday with 277 passing yards and a touchdown pass in Alabama's win over LSU.
The only knock on Simpson right now is that he completed less than 70 percent of his pass in each of Alabama's last three games, two of which were against unranked opposition.
Simpson's ability to lead the Crimson Tide to wins over four straight opponents should cancel out any negatives on his resume because that was one of the toughest stretches for any team in the country to navigate.
Simpson and Co. have one more ranked foe on the regular-season schedule. A matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners awaits on Saturday, a game in which the Alabama quarterback can further establish his resume in comparison to Sayin, Mendoza and Reed.
