Diego Pavia reacted to his second-place finish in the Heisman Trophy the way only he would. “Dear voters, F,” he wrote. Hey, he’s talking about us!
Fernando Mendoza wins 2025 Heisman after historic Indiana season
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza leads Hoosiers to undefeated season and Big Ten title, wins 2025 Heisman
Diego Pavia reacted to his second-place finish in the Heisman Trophy the way only he would. Things quickly turned around after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza won the award.
“Dear voters, F,” Vanderbilt quarterback Pavia wrote on social media.
Hey, he’s talking about us! We are voters.
On this edition of USA TODAY Network’s SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, hosts Blake Topmeyer and John Adams reveal the Heisman Trophy ballots and discuss Pavia’s reaction to second place.
Diego Pavia: “Dear voters, F” How do we feel about that?
Adams: I’ve heard worse things. If you’ve been in the industry as long as I have, you’ve probably heard all about it. Although most of Pavia’s social media posts have not registered, I am not offended by his rants directed at voters. After all, who said sportswriters should be immune from criticism? Not me.
However, Pavia’s reaction took some of the spotlight away from Mendoza. Then Pavia made a mistake. This is not an attack on members of the media who vote for the Heisman. We express criticism. We can accept that, but Pavia inappropriately stole the attention of Mendoza and the other finalists with her verbal abuse. Some might say Pavia’s reaction won’t impress NFL evaluators. Well, neither is his height. This social media uproar coincides with the trajectory of his career. He would be the perfect WWE heel.
Adams’ Heisman voting:
- pavia
- mendoza
- Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech University
Top Meyer: Pavia didn’t come to see the Pope or Mother Teresa. He came to the sportswriter. A big fuss.
While some of those who hold the pearls of our profession think this is a reprehensible noble calling, I think differently. We are not curing cancer, splitting atoms, or addressing world hunger. We are sports hacks. My job is to report on, analyze, comment on, and criticize what’s happening in college football. I’d like to think I’m doing pretty well at it, but it’d be pretty hypocritical if I couldn’t handle a little criticism in my direction.
So I’m not offended by Pavia’s vitriolic attitude toward voters, most of whom are members of the sports media. And I don’t regret voting for Pavia. I knew who I was voting for. Pavia had a great season, but this is not a Boy Scout contest. So he got my vote. But I agree with Adams that Pavia’s competitive reaction took attention away from the winner, Mendoza. That’s where Pavia isn’t up to par. He doesn’t owe voters an apology. He owes Mendoza.
Top Meyer’s Heisman voting:
- pavia
- mendoza
- Jeremiah Love, Notre Dame
Even in this episode
∎ Debate over whether Karen DeBoer is doing the right thing by pledging allegiance to Alabama while the Michigan job is unresolved.
CFP’s first round pick against the spread!
Mr. Topmeyer’s CFP picks (picks in bold):
- james madison Oregon (-21.5)
- at tulane Mississippi (-17.5)
- miami Texas A&M (-3*Alabama (-1.5)) Oklahoma
Season record: 37-38 (3-2 last week)
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Adams’ CFP picks (picks in bold):
- james madison Oregon (-21.5)
- at tulane Mississippi (-17.5)
- in miami Texas A&M (-3)
- Alabama (-1.5) and Oklahoma
Season record: 41 wins, 34 losses (4 wins and 1 loss last week)
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Topmeyer is a national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. john adams He is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. SSubscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered Podcast and check out the SEC Unfiltered Newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
