Johnny Manziel sends 4-word message to Fernando Mendoza on winning Heisman after publicly vouching for Diego Pavia

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel's pick for the Heisman winner was proven wrong on Saturday. Manziel shared his pick on X on Nov. 29, backing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia to take home the honor.

"Dare I say… @diegopavia02 for Heisman?" Manziel tweeted.

Johnny Manziel

@JManziel2

Dare I say…. @diegopavia02 for Heisman?

He followed it up with another post the night before the winner was announced.

"PAVIA 4 HEISMAN 🤞🏼" Manziel tweeted.

Johnny Manziel

@JManziel2

PAVIA 4 HEISMAN 🤞🏼

However, Pavia finished second with 189 first-place votes and 1,435 points. Fernando Mendoza ended up winning, earning 643 first-place votes and 2,362 points.

Manziel congratulated the Indiana Hoosiers star on Instagram.

"Welcome to the Family @fernandomendoza 🏆" Manziel wrote.

Johnny Manziel via Instagram (@jmanziel2)

Mendoza led Indiana to a 13-0 (9-0 Big 12) record, throwing 226 of 316 completions (71.5%) for 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns (nation-high) and six interceptions. He also rushed for 240 yards and six touchdowns.

Mendoza is the Hoosiers' first Heisman Trophy winner in program history. He helped snap Ohio State's 16-game winning streak in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 7. That secured Indiana's first outright Big Ten title since 1967, and the program's first-ever No. 1 playoff seed.

Pavia completed 242 of 340 passes (71.2%) for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading Vanderbilt to a 10-2 (6-2 Southeastern Conference) record. He also rushed 152 times for 826 yards and nine touchdowns.

Pavia became the first player in SEC history to post four consecutive games with over 400 yards of total offense.

Johnny Manziel downplayed Fernando Mendoza's performance earlier

Johnny Manziel wasn't particularly impressed by Fernando Mendoza's performance in Indiana's Big Ten championship victory.

The quarterback connected with wide receiver Charlie Becker on a 33-yard completion during a crucial third-down situation. That allowed the Hoosiers to run down the clock before punting with 18 seconds remaining. The play was labeled by many as his "Heisman moment."

Manziel shared his reaction to it on X.

"We got basic fade routes being called Heisman moments now… I’ve really seen it all. Congrats to Indiana though that’s a hell of a win" Manziel tweeted on Dec. 7.

Johnny Manziel

@JManziel2

We got basic fade routes being called Heisman moments now… I’ve really seen it all. Congrats to Indiana though that’s a hell of a win

Mendoza completed 15 of 23 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown. He rushed five times for a loss of three yards in the 13-10 win over Ohio State.