Son of 2004 Heisman Trophy-winning QB commits to SMU

Do you want to feel old?

The son of a quarterback who won the 2004 Heisman Trophy seems to have found his college home.

Cole Leinart, a 3-star quarterback from Redondo Union High School in Los Angeles, announced his commitment to SMU on Wednesday

Leinart, the No. 81 quarterback in the 2026 class according to 247Sports, is the son of former USC QB, NFL veteran and Fox college football analyst Matt Leinart.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound junior signal-caller also held offers from Arizona, Colorado, Duke, Pitt and Utah.

Leinart visited SMU last weekend when the Mustangs handed Pitt its first loss of the season, according to On3.

“Good to bid. Proud of you. This is just the beginning!” Matt Leinart wrote X after his son’s announcement.

The elder Leinart won the Heisman Trophy and led USC to an undefeated, national title-winning season in 2004. He threw for more than 10,600 yards and 99 touchdowns in three seasons with the Trojans.

His son has thrown for over 700 yards and nine touchdowns during his junior season at Redondo Union, according to MaxPreps. His team is 8-2 and will host Aquinas in a playoff game in California on Friday.