It doesn’t seem all that long ago that Matt Leinart was rocking the cardinal and gold and winning the Heisman and a national title at USC.
In reality, that was nearly two decades ago, and now the next generation of Leinart is preparing for his college future. Matt’s son Cole announced his commitment to the SMU Mustangs earlier today.
Cole is a three-star prospect out of Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) in the 2026 recruiting class. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 81 quarterback in the cycle and No. 158 player out of California.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound signal-caller also held offers from Arizona, Colorado, Duke, Pittsburgh, San Jose State, UNLV, and Utah, among others. His decision comes just a few days after he was on campus for the Mustangs’ 48-25 win over Pittsburgh.
He is the second commitment in the 2026 cycle for SMU, joining Lancaster (Texas) cornerback Victor Lincoln.
USA TODAY Sports recruiting rankings: Top 25 players in the 2025 class
Cole has played in six games this season, completing 55% of passes for 732 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s also accounted for two touchdowns on the ground.
Cole comes from college football greatness
When it comes to football in the 2000s, it could be argued that Matt Leinart is easily one of the five best college quarterbacks to play during the decade.
(He was also a high school standout at Southern California power Mater Dei, where his son originally played before transferring to Redondo Union.)
Leinart led the Trojans to a 37-1 record at USC, reaching back-to-back national championship games during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. The Trojans took home the national title during his junior season, beating Oklahoma 55-19.
That year, he also won the Heisman Trophy, completing 63% of his passes for 3,322 yards and 33 touchdowns. During his three years, Leinart threw for 10,693 yards and 99 touchdowns with only 23 interceptions.
Following his senior season, he was selected by Arizona with the 10th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He spent seven seasons in the NFL before retiring after the 2012 season. Now, he’s working in front of the camera on Saturdays as one of the main analysts for Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: 3-star QB Cole Leinart, son of Matt Leinart, commits to SMU Mustangs
