Wake Forest Pushes Gio Lopez for Heisman Bid

The 14th-ranked Demon Deacons launched an interactive campaign promoting their redshirt junior quarterback as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Football

Expressive sports illustration in gold and black of a college football quarterback mid-throw against a motion-blurred stadium. — Wake Forest launched an interactive website promoting redshirt junior quarterback Gio Lopez as a Heisman Trophy candidate, linking directly to the national fan vote. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Wake Forest has promoted redshirt junior quarterback Gio Lopez as a Heisman Trophy candidate through a website featuring interactive videos and pictures of his season highlights. The site includes a link to the Heisman fan vote and is branded H3ISMAN, a nod to Lopez's jersey number 3.

Why it matters

Lopez is officially ranked among Heisman candidates through Week 9, and the campaign puts Wake Forest's program in the national conversation for the award. The push comes as the Demon Deacons look to contend in the ACC.

Lopez has passed for 2,176 yards with 18 touchdowns and one interception and rushed for 318 yards and six touchdowns this season. He is projected to receive 3.3% of the Heisman vote, compared with 24.8% for Miami's Darian Mensah.

The players

Gio Lopez

Gio Lopez is a redshirt junior quarterback for Wake Forest who is now being promoted as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Ryan Madden

Ryan Madden is the executive athletics director and chief brand and revenue officer at Wake Forest who oversaw the university-wide Heisman campaign.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are a college football program competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The details

Wake Forest built a website with interactive videos and pictures highlighting Lopez's accomplishments through eight games, linking directly to the Heisman fan vote. Ryan Madden, the school's executive athletics director and chief brand and revenue officer, oversaw the university-wide rollout. Lopez suffered a knee injury last week, and his availability for Saturday's game against Merrimack is uncertain.

Last week: Lopez suffered a knee injury.
Week 9: Lopez was officially ranked among Heisman candidates.
Saturday: Wake Forest plays Merrimack, and Lopez may not play.
Wednesday night: Malachi Toney was ruled out indefinitely with an injury.

Season Trajectory

Heisman campaigns from college programs have long used branded sites and fan-vote links to build national attention for their quarterbacks. Wake Forest's push for Lopez follows that pattern while the ACC title race remains a key factor in how his candidacy develops.

Lopez's status for Saturday affects whether fantasy managers and bettors should expect him to start. His 2,176 passing yards and 318 rushing yards give him a dual-threat profile that matters for fantasy scoring.

The takeaway

Lopez's production through eight games has put him on the Heisman radar, but his health this week will decide how much momentum the campaign keeps. Readers tracking the award should watch his status for Saturday.

What happens next

Lopez's availability for Wake Forest's Saturday game against Merrimack will determine whether his Heisman candidacy continues to build during the regular season.