Cole Leinart, son of former USC and NFL QB Matt Leinart, commits to SMU football

A familiar last name will soon return to college football.

Cole Leinart, the son of former USC national champion quarterback Matt Leinart, announced his commitment to SMU on Wednesday via social media.

Cole Leinart is a 3-star quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. He holds offers from Colorado, UNLV, Pitt and Georgia State, according to the recruiting website. He's also the No. 81 quarterback and No. 158 player in California, although he's not ranked in 247Sports' composite rankings.

"Proud dad," Matt Leinart posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.

Matt Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner, was the No. 10 pick of the 2006 NFL draft after winning the 2003 and 2004 national championships with the Trojans. He was selected to two All-American teams and his No. 11 jersey is retired at USC.

Matt Leinart's NFL career wasn't nearly as successful, however, as he completed 366 of 641 passes for 4,065 yards with 15 touchdowns to 21 interceptions in his seven-year career. He started 16 games in his first two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals but was benched midway through the 2007 season and only started two more games the rest of his career.

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Cole Leinart is now set to join SMU, a program with loads of momentum. The Mustangs are currently ranked No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings and are 8-1 in their first ACC season with a solid chance at making the 12-team playoff.