If you’re sitting at a bar arguing about who the best player in the country is, you probably reach for the Heisman Trophy as your ultimate proof. Most people do. But if you really want to know who the "pros" think is the best—specifically the grizzled sportswriters who watch every single snap from the press box—you look at the AP College Football Player of the Year.
It’s the award that doesn’t always care about the "Heisman Moment" or who had the best highlight reel on TikTok.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a purist’s award. It’s voted on by the Associated Press, the same folks who run the Top 25 poll that keeps us all screaming at our TVs on Sunday mornings. And in 2025, they threw a massive curveball that basically redefined how we look at "value" in the modern era of the sport.
Why the AP College Football Player of the Year Actually Matters
While the Heisman gets the shiny downtown New York gala and the Nissan commercials, the AP award is often the first real indicator of where the momentum is swinging.
Look at 2024. Travis Hunter, the two-way superstar from Colorado, nabbed the AP College Football Player of the Year before he ever touched that bronze Heisman trophy. It was the AP voters who first said, "Yeah, we don’t care that he plays for a team with some losses; what he’s doing on both sides of the ball is literally historic."
The 2025 Shocker: Fernando Mendoza
Fast forward to the 2025 season. If you told a casual fan in August that an Indiana quarterback would sweep the major awards, they would’ve asked what you were drinking. But Fernando Mendoza didn’t just win; he dominated the conversation.
Leading an unbeaten Indiana team to the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff? That’s stuff from a movie.
Mendoza ended the year with 41 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. He wasn't just a "system guy." He was the engine for a Hoosiers team that hadn't seen a Big Ten title in nearly 60 years. When the AP voters sat down to cast their ballots, it wasn't even close. He took home the AP College Football Player of the Year because he took a "basketball school" and made it the center of the football universe.
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How the Voting Actually Works (It’s Not Just a Popularity Contest)
People think these awards are just about who is on ESPN the most. Sorta, but not really.
The AP panel consists of about 60 to 62 sportswriters and broadcasters from all over the country. These aren't just random bloggers; these are people who cover the beats. The voting structure is pretty specific:
- The Ballot: Each voter picks their top three players.
- Point System: A first-place vote gets 3 points, second place gets 2, and third place gets 1.
- The Timing: Most of this happens right after the conference championships but before the playoffs really kick into high gear.
Because the AP voters are also the ones ranking the teams every week, they tend to have a very deep understanding of strength of schedule. They know if a quarterback put up 500 yards against a "cupcake" defense or if a linebacker like Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez actually disrupted an entire offensive scheme against a Top 10 opponent.
Does the AP Winner Always Win the Heisman?
Not always. That’s the fun part.
Usually, they align. Since 2004, they’ve matched up almost every year. But when they don’t? That’s where the drama is.
Take 2015. Christian McCaffrey won the AP College Football Player of the Year after breaking Barry Sanders’ record for all-purpose yards. But the Heisman voters? They went with Derrick Henry. It created a massive rift between the "stat-heads" (AP) and the "eye-test" crowd (Heisman).
Then there’s 2009. Ndamukong Suh—a defensive tackle, for crying out loud—won the AP award. Mark Ingram won the Heisman. The AP voters essentially said, "We know a defender hasn't won the Heisman in forever, but Suh is objectively the most dominant force on any field." It's that kind of independence that makes the AP trophy so respected in locker rooms.
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Recent Winners at a Glance
- 2025: Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
- 2024: Travis Hunter (WR/CB, Colorado)
- 2023: Jayden Daniels (QB, LSU)
- 2022: Caleb Williams (QB, USC)
- 2021: Bryce Young (QB, Alabama)
- 2020: DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama)
Notice a pattern? Quarterbacks still reign supreme, but the AP is much more willing to give flowers to wide receivers (Smith) and defensive-leaning stars (Hunter) than almost any other major voting body.
The "Suh Factor" and Defensive Snubs
One of the biggest gripes you'll hear in sports bars from Tuscaloosa to Columbus is that the Heisman is just a "Best Quarterback on a Top 5 Team" award.
The AP College Football Player of the Year tries to fight that.
In 2025, Jacob Rodriguez at Texas Tech was a serious finalist. He had over 110 tackles and forced seven fumbles. Seven! That’s an insane number for a single season. While he didn't beat out Mendoza for the top spot, the AP gave him significantly more love than the Heisman committee did.
The AP award tends to value the "unstatable" impact. If a cornerback shuts down half the field—like Caleb Downs did for Ohio State this year—the AP voters notice because they’re watching the tape for their weekly rankings.
The Quarterback Bias: Is it Real?
Yeah, it’s real. You can’t escape it.
In the last 20 years, a non-quarterback has won the AP award only a handful of times. It makes sense, though. In the modern game, the QB touches the ball every play. If they’re elite, their impact is mathematically higher.
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But look at the 2025 finalists. You had Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame, who was a touchdown machine. You had Diego Pavia, the Vanderbilt legend who basically willed the Commodores to relevance. Even though Mendoza won, the AP ballot was way more diverse in terms of positions and "underdog" schools than we've seen in the past.
What to Watch for Next Season
If you want to track who is going to win the next AP College Football Player of the Year, don't just look at the stat sheet.
Look at who is making the AP Top 25 voters change their minds.
When a team jumps 10 spots in the poll because of one guy's performance, that guy is your frontrunner. The AP award is about narrative as much as numbers. It’s about the player who defined the season's biggest stories.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans:
- Follow the AP Pollsters: Check Twitter/X for the ballots of specific AP voters like Brett McMurphy or Heather Dinich. They often explain why they are leaning toward a certain player weeks before the award is announced.
- Don't Ignore Defense: Keep an eye on the "Defensive Player of the Year" race. If a defender is consistently appearing in the Top 3 of AP ballots, they have a legitimate shot at the overall Player of the Year.
- Watch the Post-Championship Shift: The week between the conference titles and the award announcement is when the "consensus" usually forms. This is when the AP's 60+ voters are finalized.
Basically, the AP award is for the fans who want to look past the marketing. It’s the "Player’s Player" award. Whether it’s a dual-threat QB like Mendoza or a generational freak of nature like Hunter, this trophy tells the real story of the season.
Next time you see the Heisman ceremony, remember that the AP College Football Player of the Year probably already told you who was going to win—or, more interestingly, who should have won.