The 2026 ESPY Awards are shaping up to be a memorable night for Indiana University Athletics. The Hoosiers' 2025 national championship football team is in the running for Best Team, and their star quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, is nominated for both Best Breakthrough Athlete and Best Men’s College Athlete. Meanwhile, former IU basketball standout OG Anunoby's clutch Game 4 tip-in during the NBA Finals is a contender for Best Play.
Indiana football achieved a historic feat by completing the first 16-0 season since 1894, under the leadership of head coach Curt Cignetti. Their victory over Miami in the national championship game capped off a dramatic turnaround, as the team went from a dismal 9-27 record between 2021 and 2023 to an impressive 27-2 over the past two seasons.
Mendoza's rise was nothing short of spectacular, as he clinched the Heisman Trophy with a stellar 2025 season, throwing for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns. His performance has cemented his status as one of college football's brightest stars.
Anunoby, on the other hand, delivered a remarkable performance in the NBA Finals, averaging 21.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 assists per game. Shooting 52.5% overall and 50% from beyond the arc, he highlighted his series with a game-winning shot during a 33-point explosion in Game Four.
The ESPYs, which first aired in 1993, are a celebration of the year's top sports achievements, bringing together celebrities from sports and entertainment. The event also supports the V Foundation for Cancer Research, established by ESPN and the late coach Jim Valvano.
This year's ceremony will be broadcast live on July 15 at 8pm ET / 7pm CT on ABC and the ESPN App. Hosted by comedian Marcello Hernández, the show returns to New York City, airing from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
Here's a look at some of the key nominations for the 2026 ESPYs:
Best Athlete, Men’s Sports
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Best Athlete, Women’s Sports
- Hilary Knight, Hockey
- Nelly Korda, Golf
- Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best Breakthrough Athlete
- Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
- Alysa Liu, Figure Skating
- Drake Maye, New England Patriots
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Football
Best Record-Breaking Performance
- Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns - NFL single-season sack record
- Megan Grant, UCLA Softball - NCAA single-season home run record
- Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Cross-Country Skier - six golds at Winter Games
- Sabastian Sawe, Long-Distance Runner - first marathon under two hours
Best Championship Performance
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Aerin Frankel, USA Women’s Hockey
- Connor Hellebuyck, USA Men’s Hockey
- Teagan Kavan, Texas Longhorns Softball
Best Comeback Athlete
- Anthony Kim, Golf
- Savy King, Angel City FC
- Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
- Kyndal Stowers, Texas A&M Volleyball
Best Play
- Golden Goal for Gold! - Olympic Women’s Hockey
- Golden Goal for Gold! - Olympic Men’s Hockey
- UConn stuns Duke with Braylon Mullins’ buzzer-beating 3 - NCAA Men’s March Madness
- OG Anunoby’s Tip-In - NBA Finals
- Caleb Williams Game Tying TD vs.
Rams - NFL
Best Team
- Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
- Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB
- Indiana Hoosiers, NCAA Football
- Carolina Hurricanes, NHL
- New York Knicks, NBA
- Texas Longhorns, NCAA Softball
- Seattle Seahawks, NFL
- Team USA Men’s Hockey
- Team USA Women’s Hockey
Best Single-Game Performance
- Tyce Armstrong, Baylor Baseball - three grand slams in a game
- Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat - 83 points in a game
- Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame Basketball - 16 steals in a game
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers - six scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts, three home runs
Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports
- Cameron Boozer, Duke Basketball
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Football
- Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State Wrestling
- Donavan Phillip, NC State Soccer
Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports
- Olivia Babcock, Pittsburgh Volleyball
- Lauren Betts, UCLA Basketball
- Madison Taylor, Northwestern Lacrosse
- Faith Torrez, Oklahoma Gymnastics
The ESPYs promise to be a night filled with excitement, honoring the athletes and moments that made the past year unforgettable.
In Other News...
Indiana Suddenly Has A Veteran Backcourt Option Worth Watching
Darian DeVries is heading into his second season at Indiana after an 18-14 debut, and the Hoosiers have already used the transfer portal to reshape the roster. Now there is another backcourt name worth tracking as the staff looks for more depth and experience on the perimeter, the kind of addition that can matter over the grind of a Big Ten schedule.
The latest option is a veteran guard who has taken a winding path through four different programs and just became eligible for one more season. His most recent stop was his best, which is why Indiana is taking a hard look at whether he fits into what the Hoosiers are building next, even as the final details of his college future still need to settle into place. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Just Turned Up The Heat On Memorial Stadium Talks
Indianas recent run of sellouts at Memorial Stadium has moved the long-running stadium conversation from theoretical to increasingly practical. Curt Cignetti and athletic director Scott Dolson have both shown support for upgrades, and the focus around campus now includes the kind of work that can happen sooner, like concourse refinements, mechanical and infrastructure improvements and more luxury suites, while the bigger question of what comes next keeps lingering in the background.
The momentum is easy to understand when the building is packed as often as it has been lately, with four sellouts in each of the last two seasons and a chance at something Indiana has not seen in decades. The university is still sorting through what a larger Memorial Stadium could eventually look like, and the conversation has already reached beyond maintenance and amenities into the kind of structural changes that would reshape the place for the next era. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Landed A Massive National Spotlight Moment
Indianas recent run of national relevance has spilled well beyond the usual Big Ten conversation, with ESPNs 2026 ESPY nominations giving the program another jolt of attention. Former IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza landed a pair of nods, one for Best Breakthrough Athlete and another for Best College Athlete, while Indiana football itself is in the mix for Best Team. Former Hoosier OG Anunoby also drew an ESPY nomination, adding another high-profile name to a list that has put Indiana back in the national frame.
The team category is especially notable because Indiana is being judged alongside a crowded field of championship-level competitors, a reminder of just how rare these spotlight moments can be for a college football program. The Hoosiers place on that ballot traces back to a 16-0 season that ended with a national title, and the nomination alone is a sign of how loudly the sports biggest stage has noticed what happened in Bloomington. [Read more 🡒]