BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has won the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards on the eve of the Heisman Trophy presentation, and the redshirt junior is heavily favored to take the top prize in college football.
Mendoza took the honors for the nation's player of the year and top QB on ESPN's college awards show on Friday night. The Heisman winner will be named Saturday night in New York, and Mendoza is an overwhelming favorite, according to BetMGM.
The Maxwell and O'Brien honors came a day after Mendoza was named The Associated Press player of the year.
The California transfer led the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record, a victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Indiana's first O'Brien winner set a program record with an FBS-leading 33 touchdown passes.
“It's a wonderful feeling. It really doesn't feel real,” Mendoza said from New York after being named the O'Brien winner. “It's a testament to so many people who believed in me, who have helped groom me into the player I am today and all those people, especially before anybody knew my name.”
Mendoza won the O'Brien over Ohio State freshman Julian Sayin and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed, two other quarterbacks getting ready to lead their teams in the CFP.
The Maxwell nod for Mendoza came over Sayin and Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, who was that storied program's first Doak Walker Award winner as the nation's premier running back. Love set a school record with 21 touchdowns.
Mendoza is Indiana's second Maxwell winner after running back Anthony Thompson in 1989.
Mendoza's coach, Curt Cignetti, was named coach of the year for the second consecutive season. The Hoosiers had their first undefeated regular season since 1945, won the Big Ten for the first time in 58 years and ended a 37-year losing streak to the Buckeyes. The win over Ohio State earned Indiana its first No. 1 AP ranking.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the defensive player of the year. He was already the Bronko Nagurski Award winner, also for the best defensive player.
Southern California's Makai Lemon was named the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver. He was in the top 10 nationally with 1,156 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was named the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the top defensive back, and Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman.
Oklahoma's Tate Sandell won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker, and Georgia's Brett Thorson took the Ray Guy Award as the top punter. Both programs are headed to the CFP.
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FILE - Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) carries the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE - Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza warms up before an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the biggest blockbuster trade of the NHL season.
The teams announced the seismic move Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks.
Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebounding Vancouver to complete the deal. Rossi at 24, Ohgren at 21 and Buium at 20 fit the young players the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were to trade Hughes.
“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks," Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. "Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid centre in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one, so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”
Hughes, only 26 and considered the best at player at the position behind Colorado’s Cale Makar, has one season left on his contract after this one before he can become an unrestricted free agent. There has been plenty of buzz around Quinn wanting to play with brothers Jack and Luke on the New Jersey Devils.
They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild GM Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey's management team.
Hughes has two goals and 21 assists for 23 points in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. He has been their captain since 2023, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change in Vancouver 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet's departure.
“With the circumstances surrounding JT and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. "They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”
Minnesota cannot extend Hughes until July 1, and it's unclear if he would entertain signing another contract. He had nothing in the way of trade protection on his current deal, paying him an average of $7.85 million annually, that would have allowed him to block a trade anywhere.
The Wild are taking a shot at challenging the two top teams in the NHL, Colorado and Dallas, in the Central Division, which also includes reigning Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg. Hughes vastly upgrades their blue line, which already included captain Jared Spurgeon and smooth-skating Swede Jonas Brodin. Winger Kirill Kaprizov only this past fall signed the richest deal in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” for eight more years.
It was the second major trade of the day after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Minnesota Wild's Liam Ohgren (28) and Jonas Brodin (25) celebrate a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during first period NHL action, in Edmonton on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium, left, skates with the puck as Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes waits for play to begin in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
