Winners from the 2025 College Football Awards
The Heisman Trophy will be awarded Saturday, but there's plenty of other hardware to hand out in the meantime. Here are the winners from the 2025 College Football Awards show:
Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback)
Winner: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Mendoza becomes the first Indiana player to ever win the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback. The Cal transfer was an instant star in his first season with the Hoosiers, breaking the school record with 33 touchdown passes and leading the team to a Big Ten title. Mendoza provided plenty of dramatic moments this year - including some NFL-level throws in comeback wins over Penn State and Ohio State.
Other finalists: Marcel Reed (Texas A&M), Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
Biletnikoff Award (best receiver)
Winner: Makai Lemon, USC
Lemon cashed in on an incredible season to become just the second USC player to win the award. The Trojans star was fourth in the nation in receiving yards and tied for sixth in touchdown grabs. He posted four games with at least 150 receiving yards - tied for most at the FBS level.
Other finalists: Skyler Bell (UConn), Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State)
Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player)
Winner: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
It would take a fantastic individual season for someone to claim this award over Caleb Downs, and that's exactly what Rodriguez did in 2025. The Texas Tech star linebacker recorded 117 tackles (11 for loss), four interceptions, and one sack in 13 games en route to finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Other finalists: Caleb Downs (Ohio State), Cashius Howell (Texas A&M)
Doak Walker Award (best running back)
Winner: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
No surprise here. Love once again was a beast for Notre Dame and became the first Fighting Irish player to win this award. The star tailback rushed for 1,372 yards (6.9 per carry) and 18 touchdowns in 2025 to go along with 280 receiving yards and three TD catches.
Other finalists: Ahmad Hardy (Missouri), Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss)
Outland Trophy (best interior lineman)
Winner: Spencer Fano, Utah
Fano came into the season with plenty of NFL buzz surrounding him and delivered all year for Utah. Fano allowed zero sacks in 382 pass-blocking snaps on the season, according to PFF. The 6-foot-6, 302-pound junior is one of the more athletic interior linemen in the country and should be one of the top picks in April's NFL draft.
Other finalists: Logan Jones (Iowa), Kayden McDonald (Ohio State)
Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back)
Winner: Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Downs became the third Ohio State player to be named college football's best defensive back - and no one should be surprised by it. A cornerstone of the Buckeyes' stout defensive unit, Downs was all over the field in 2025, finishing the campaign with 60 tackles (five for loss), two pass breakups, two interceptions, and one sack.
Other finalists: Mansoor Delane (LSU), Leonard Moore (Notre Dame)
Coach of the Year
Winner: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
They might as well rename this award for Cignetti after the Indiana coach took home the honors for the second year in a row. That being said, it's tough to argue with the decision, as he helped deliver Indiana's first Big Ten title in 58 years with a win over Ohio State in the conference championship game. That victory snapped a 37-game losing streak for the Hoosiers versus the Buckeyes and secured the No. 1 seed for the College Football Playoff.
Ray Guy Award (best punter)
Winner: Brett Thorson, Georgia
Thorson joined Drew Butler (2009) as the only Georgia punters to win the Ray Guy Award. The Australian averaged 45.2 yards per punt this season to be named the nation's most outstanding punter in his second straight year as a finalist.
Other finalists: Evan Crenshaw (Troy), Palmer Williams (Baylor)
Lou Groza Award (best kicker)
Winner: Tate Sandell, Oklahoma
Short shorts, long kicks. Sandell is the first Sooner ever to win the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best kicker after converting 23 of 24 field-goal attempts in 2025. Additionally, he didn't miss any of his 32 extra-point attempts.
Other finalists: Aidan Birr (Georgia Tech), Kansei Matsuzawa (Hawaii)
Maxwell Award (best player)
Winner: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Mendoza added another major award to his outstanding 2025 season by winning the Maxwell Award after also being named the nation's top quarterback Friday. The Heisman Trophy finalist completed 71.5% of his passes for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns, the highest mark at the FBS level in 2025.
Other finalists: Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame), Julian Sayin (Ohio State)