2025 was a roller-coaster year for Shedeur Sanders, the kind of year that kept his name glued to headlines and Google searches.
Shedeur Sanders came off a strong final season in Colorado, carrying momentum, hype, and nonstop chatter about where he would land in the draft. Then everything flipped.
Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock slid, analysts questioned his transition to the league, and suddenly Shedeur Sanders found himself fighting for a roster spot in Cleveland instead of walking in as a guaranteed franchise quarterback.
But that battle worked in his favor. He earned the job, proved he belonged, and now Shedeur Sanders is officially the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
Through every rise, fall, and comeback, Shedeur Sanders stayed one of the most consistent trending names in sports, making him the most searched athlete on Google in 2025. However, he ranked sixth overall among the year’s most searched global figures.
2025 Google Searches Ahead of Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders was top 6 globally among the 2025 top searches, and below are those who appeared ahead of him:
Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Mamdani topped the global list in 2025, rising far above Shedeur Sanders and nearly every other public figure because of a historic political win that dominated headlines across continents.
Mamdani became the youngest New York City mayor in more than a century and the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born leader of America’s biggest city.
His election wasn’t just a local story,but a global moment. Voters rallied behind his bold affordability platform, which included rent freezes, fare-free buses, and universal childcare funded through higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
What made his surge even more remarkable was the way he ran: an outsider, grassroots campaign powered by volunteers, small donations, and massive social media energy.
As news outlets from Al Jazeera to CNN highlighted the symbolism and scale of his victory, searches for Zohran Mamdani skyrocketed worldwide, making him 2025’s most talked-about new political figure.
Tyler Robinson: Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
Tyler Robinson was also one of the most searched names of 2025 after being identified as the 22-year-old accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
The incident was stunning because Kirk was shot in the neck from a rooftop roughly 142 yards away while taking a question about mass shootings, and the footage spread across every major platform within minutes.
A 33-hour manhunt followed until Robinson’s father recognized him in FBI-released images and helped arrange his surrender. According to reports, Robinson told his parents he targeted Kirk because “there is too much evil and the guy spreads too much hate,” a statement that ignited nationwide debate.
Prosecutors charged him with aggravated murder and announced they would seek the death penalty, citing political motivation.
The case exploded online, fueling arguments about extremism, partisan violence, and America’s deteriorating political climate, making Tyler Robinson one of 2025’s most controversial and searched figures.
D4vd
D4vd became one of the most searched names of 2025 after topping Google’s “People” category in the Year in Search rankings, placing above global superstars like Kendrick Lamar.
His meteoric rise wasn’t surprising from a music standpoint; hits like “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me” continue to rack up billions of Spotify streams.
But the spike in search volume wasn’t driven by music alone. In September, human remains were found in a Tesla registered to the 20-year-old singer, later identified as a missing teenager. Police stressed that D4vd wasn’t a suspect and has not been charged, but the investigation triggered global scrutiny.
Things escalated again when alleged Discord screenshots of D4vd discussing exposure to gore videos resurfaced and went viral, pushing him back into the trending cycle.
The controversy created a strange paradox. D4vd’s streams surged even as he canceled world tour dates. With the investigation still underway, public curiosity kept D4vd at the center of worldwide searches throughout 2025.
Erika Kirk
Erika Kirk surged into Google’s top searches after controversial statements she made at the New York Times DealBook Summit on December 3, 2025. During her panel, Kirk argued that career-focused women in places like Manhattan are turning to government programs as substitutes for relationships.
She even suggested that young female voters might be delaying marriage and family because they “rely on government support instead of husbands.” She tied her comments to New York’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, framing his policies as contributing to the trend.
The reaction was immediate and intense. Critics highlighted the irony of Kirk criticizing ambitious women despite being one herself: college-educated, degree-stacking, career-driven, a two-time business founder, and someone who didn’t marry or have children until her 30s.
Her visibility has already been high since becoming CEO of Turning Point USA after her husband Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September, along with headlines about her viral hug with Vice President JD Vance and her rumored request to make Charlie’s memorial outshine Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
The combined controversy pushed Erika Kirk into the center of national conversation and made her one of 2025’s most searched names.
Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV became a major trending figure in 2025 thanks to a highly watched international debut that introduced the world to his unique papal style. His first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon immediately set him apart from past popes.
Vatican analysts noted his ability to deliver strong messages on climate change, artificial intelligence, immigration, and poverty with more subtlety and restraint than Pope Francis, giving Catholics and global observers a new sense of what his leadership might look like.
Then came the viral moment: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy praised the pope’s airplane attire as part of a civility campaign, sharing a photo of Pope Leo XIV casually holding a baseball bat once owned by White Sox legend Nellie Fox. The image exploded online.
Throughout the trip, people gravitated toward his distinct personality, America’s first pope, more reserved, down-to-earth, and almost sitcom-like in his unexpected rise from Midwestern anonymity to the papacy.
And on his flight home, Pope Leo XIV added another headline by suggesting economic pressure, not military intervention, as the best path for dealing with Venezuela’s socialist regime.
The mix of diplomacy, viral pop culture moments, and a fresh papal identity made him one of 2025’s most searched global figures.
From historic wins to viral controversies, 2025 was full of headlines. Still, Shedeur Sanders topped Google as the year’s most searched athlete.