The race for college football’s top individual honor may have found a new frontrunner. On Sunday’s episode of Always College Football, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy

Johnny Manziel believes one college football player has done enough to be considered a Heisman Trophy finalist. He's just hoping everything will fall into place to make that happen. The former Heisman winner joined the Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson to endorsed Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia as one of his 2025 Heisman finalists.

If you don’t know the name Fernando Mendoza by now, you’d better learn it. Mendoza is the quarterback of the undefeated, No. 2–ranked Indiana Hoosiers and has been the talk of the college football

College football is unpredictable and delightful, which is why we live for what happens on Saturdays. And Week 11 certainly delivered, from a thriller in Happy Valley to even more chaos in ACC country.

Moore was a five-star high school prospect in the class of 2023. He was ranked behind Arch Manning and Nico Iamaleava on most sites, and he was the consensus No. 3 QB in the country. He signed with UCLA, where he completed 53.5% of his passes for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine games as a true freshman.

One player in particular has caught the attention of fans nationwide—and Mahomes himself: Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Following the game, Mahomes publicly endorsed Rodriguez to be included on the ballot for the Heisman Trophy in New York.

SportsLine college football expert Thomas Casale breaks down the latest Heisman Trophy odds ahead of Week 12 of the 2025 college football season

Quarterbacks still dominate the conversation, but a linebacker, two running backs and a few late risers are making their push for the Heisman.