Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza was announced as the winner of the 2025 Heisman Trophy on Saturday at Lincoln Center in New York.

The prestigious award is presented annually to the top player in college football.

Mendoza secured the honor over Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.

The redshirt junior, who led the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record this season and the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking, is Indiana’s first Heisman winner.

And it just so happens that he plays America's fastest-growing sport as well.

During a recent appearance on The Heisman Trophy Podcast, host Chris Huston asked Mendoza to share a talent that he doesn't generally publicize.

"I think I'm really good at the game pickleball," he replied.

Mendoza didn’t elaborate, unfortunately, but there’s reason to believe he can hold his own on the court, as he also shared his passion for a related paddle sport, too.

"Oh, I think I'm really good at ping pong. That's what I think I'm really good at. We get really competitive here in the locker room about ping pong, and I think it's a great way to nurture competition here," he emphasized.

"We play against the strength staff. We play against teammates. We even play doubles ping pong most of the time, so it gets really competitive. I think I'm the best ping pong player on the team. That's just me. That can be controversial, if you ask one of my teammates, but I think I'm really good at ping pong."

A ping pong enthusiast in his own right, Ben Johns would be the first to admit that being skilled at table tennis can give your pickleball game a boost.

Mendoza also discussed his pickleball skills in a social media video for JLab, a leading personal technology and audio brand.

Apparently his brother Alberto—a redshirt freshman quarterback at Indiana—has a knack for pickleball, too.

"Alberto is really talented. We both played tennis when we were younger. We're very talented in tennis and pickleball," insisted Fernando. "Alberto and I, as a duo or a doubles team together, could take anybody down in pickleball, by far, no doubt."

"Whoever wants pickleball smoke, hit us up one day," added Alberto. "You let us know because we're running it."

Fernando Mendoza is the 2025 Big Ten Offensive Player and Quarterback of the Year, and an All-Big Ten first-team quarterback.

He earned his undergraduate business degree at Berkeley last year and is pursuing a Master’s at Indiana.