Particular person awards are a group effort — and so are the celebrations.
Shortly after successful the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night time, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was stunned by his teammates upon coming into the room for his post-Heisman Trophy ceremony press convention.
The Hoosiers cheered and embraced their junior area common, celebrating his historic accomplishment in a poignant scene.
“That was all you,” mentioned one in every of Mendoza’s teammates amid the scrum.
Mendoza, 22, grew to become the primary Heisman winner in Indiana’s program historical past after prevailing in a finalist area together with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Ohio State sign caller Julian Sayin, and Notre Dame operating again Jeremiyah Love.
The previous Cal quarterback fought again tears upon listening to his title referred to as, embracing his teammates and members of the family as he made his method as much as the stage.
In a shifting acceptance speech, Mendoza acknowledged that his accomplishment displays the work of many — and expressed his honest gratitude for his household, teammates, and coaches.
“This second is an honor — it’s greater than me,” he mentioned.
“It’s a product of a household, group, neighborhood, and an entire lot of people that believed in me lengthy earlier than anyone knew my title.”
The previous Cal quarterback accomplished 71.5 % of his passes for two,980 yards and an NCAA-leading 33 touchdowns with simply six interceptions throughout his first season in Bloomington.
With Mendoza below middle, the Hoosiers accomplished an ideal 13–0 season, captured the Massive Ten title, and clinched the No. 1 seed heading into the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
“Congrats to all my teammates, my brothers—that is our trophy,” Mendoza mentioned. “I really like you guys greater than you recognize. To my linemen who protected me, each single receiver and tight finish that bailed me out, to each operating again who fought for extra yards and to our protection that gave us that coronary heart, swagger and extra second probabilities than we positively deserved, this trophy may need my title on it, but it surely belongs to all of you.”
The 6-foot-5 Mendoza is thought to be the highest quarterback prospect in April’s NFL Draft and can garner important curiosity from groups searching for a franchise area common — together with the three-win New York Jets, who at the moment personal the seventh decide within the draft and watched as Mendoza accepted the Heisman of their yard.
“Soccer apart, I really like New York Metropolis,” he instructed reporters Friday afternoon in Midtown Manhattan. “Nonetheless, proper now I’m targeted on celebrating this weekend and I’m additionally targeted on the remainder of the Faculty Soccer Playoffs.
“We expect we’ve got three video games left, and that’s the place all my focus is correct now, to be within the current second and provides all my consideration to the Indiana Hoosiers.”
The Hoosiers, who earned a first-round bye within the CFP, will face both No. 8 Oklahoma or No. 9 Alabama within the Rose Bowl on New 12 months’s Day.
