The NCAA football world now knows the final four in the running for the Heisman Trophy award. Fernando Mendoza will pursue history after stunning Ohio State. But Jeremiyah Love and two more are in the hunt.
Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt and Julian Sayin of Ohio State are joining the Indiana quarterback and Notre Dame running back for the honor. All four got announced during the ESPN Monday Night Countdown pregame show.
The quartet will head to New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room, where the presentation will take place. Heisman winners of years past will join them.
Mendoza, Love, Pavia and Sayin will learn who receives the hardware come Saturday night after 8 p.m. ET.
Frontrunner among Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love for Heisman Trophy?
History is on the side for two of the final candidates.
Mendoza has a chance to become Indiana's first-ever Heisman winner — and win it for a school rich in basketball history. Pavia is another who can add a long-awaited Heisman winner for Vanderbilt.
But there's additional history involving the two QBs. Either Mendoza or Pavia can join Stanford's Jim Plunkett as the first Hispanic players to win the coveted award. Plunkett claimed the honor back in 1970.
Love is the non-QB of this group but delivered a dominating 1,372-yard, 18-touchdown season for the Fighting Irish. It's now the second straight season a running back is a finalist (Ashton Jeanty received Heisman votes for Boise State last season).
Sayin took over the quarterback reins as a freshman and delivered 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns and six interceptions. He earns a chance to join Troy Smith as the second Buckeyes QB since 2006 to win the award.
Mendoza, though, raised his chances by stunning the defending national champs Ohio State for the Big Ten title. He also secured the first outright conference championship for Indiana in 58 years.
