2025 Walter Camp FBS Player of Year Finalists – Jeremiyah Love, Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia, Jacob Rodriguez and Julian Sayin
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the five finalists for its 2025 Football Bowl Subdivision Player of the Year award, the fourth-oldest college football award in the nation. The Walter Camp Player of the Year award is presented by Crabtree Lexus of New Haven.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin are the five finalists.
The Walter Camp Player of the Year is selected by the 136 FBS head coaches and sports communicators and will be announced on ESPN’s College Football Live on Wednesday, December 10.
Walter Camp Player of Year FINALISTS
JEREMIYAH LOVE, Junior, RB, NOTRE DAME
Has rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns for the 10-2 Fighting Irish… has 27 receptions for 280 yards and three touchdowns… Has rushed for 100+ yards in a game six times this season.
FERNANDO MENDOZA, Junior, QB, INDIANA
Has completed 72.0 percent of this passes (211-of-293) for 2,758 yards and 32 touchdowns for the 12-0 Hoosiers… Has rushed for 243 yards and six touchdowns. Has thrown for 200+ yards in a game nine times this season.
DIEGO PAVIA, Graduate Student, QB, VANDERBILT
Has completed 242-of-340 passes for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns for the 10-2 Commodores… Has rushed for 826 yards and nine touchdowns… Has thrown for 200+ yards in a game seven times this season.
JACOB RODRIGUEZ, Senior, LB, TEXAS TECH
Has recorded 104 tackles (57 solo) for the 11-1 Red Raiders this season… Has forced seven fumbles and four interceptions on the season. Has posted 10+ tackles in a game five times this season.
JULIAN SAYIN, Sophomore, QB, OHIO STATE
Has completed 78.9 percent (258-of-327) of his passes for 3,065 yards and 30 touchdowns for the 12-0 Buckeyes. Has passed for 200 or more yards eight times this season.
Considered the “Father of American Football,” Walter Camp introduced the play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side in 1880. Nine years later, Mr. Camp, then the Yale University head coach, selected the first-ever college football All-America team. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.
The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients dating back to 1935.
About Crabtree Lexus of New Haven
Crabtree Lexus of New Haven is located at 655 Main Street in East Haven, CT, convenient from anywhere in the Northeast directly off of I-95. Visit them at https://www.CrabtreeLexus.com
About Lexus
Lexus’ passion for brave design, imaginative technology, and exhilarating performance enables the luxury lifestyle brand to create amazing experiences for its customers. Lexus began its journey in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since then, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of global luxury customers in more than 90 countries. In the United States, Lexus vehicles are sold through 244 dealers offering a full lineup of luxury vehicles. With eight models incorporating Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers nine F SPORT models, one F performance model and one F model. Lexus is committed to being a visionary brand that anticipates the future for luxury customers.
