SMU gets commitment from Cole Leinart, son of Matt

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  • Eli Lederman, ESPN staff writerNovember 6, 2024, 5:01 PM ET

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      Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for the Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

California high school quarterback Cole Leinart, son of former USC star and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, committed to SMU on Wednesday.

Leinart, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, is a junior at California’s Redondo Union High School. Currently unrated by ESPN, he held several Power 4 offers and chose the Mustangs over Colorado, Arizona and Utah to become the second member of coach Rhett Lashlee’s 2026 class.

“The culture they’re building at SMU — I just want to be a part of it,” Leinart told ESPN. “I love the coaching staff. They’re literally like family now. I just want to be a part of what they have there.”

Leinart’s commitment landed Wednesday, nearly 19 years since his father closed out a legendary playing career at USC.

Matt Leinart was a three-time All-American with the Trojans from 2001 to 2005, posting a 37-2 record over three seasons as a starter in which USC won back-to-back national titles (2003 and 2004). Leinart set 16 program records during his college career and became the Trojans’ sixth Heisman Trophy winner in 2004. He went on to spend six seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders.

The younger Leinart now joins cornerback Victor Lincoln (Lancaster, Texas) as the other prospect to commit to SMU in 2026. In the 2025 cycle, the Mustangs hold a quarterback pledge from four-star dual-threat passer Ty Hawkins, who returned from TCU in July. Hawkins is one of three ESPN 300 prospects committed to SMU’s 2025 class, which ranks No. 28 in the latest team rankings for the cycle.

Leinart began his high school career at California power Mater Dei High School before transferring to Newport Harbor last fall. Leinart then transferred to Redondo Union ahead of his junior season in the fall, making his debut on Sept. 27 after sitting out four games due to California Interscholastic Federation transfer rules. Leinart and Redondo Union open the 2024 postseason this week against California’s Aquinas High School.

SMU was the first program to seriously pursue Leinart when the Mustangs offered him a scholarship under former coach Sonny Dykes prior to Leinart’s freshman year of high school. Dykes transferred to TCU soon after, but Leinart stayed in touch with the Mustangs and soon developed a close relationship with Lashlee, SMU’s third-year coach.

Leinart’s commitment to the Mustangs comes just days after he visited SMU and participated in the team’s 48-25 win over Pitt on Saturday.

“They’ve been No. 1 for a long time, and then I came out to a game last weekend,” Leinart said. “It was great to see. The offense is open. The defense is off. And it’s just a fun team. The whole atmosphere is just great. I’m happy to be a part of it.”

For Leinart, who initially followed in his father’s footsteps at Mater Dei, college football represents an opportunity to continue a family legacy in the sport.

“Everybody sees the last name, but they don’t really see the work my parents put in for me to get to this place,” Leinart said. “This is not just me. This is everything. I’m going to carry the tradition and play football and I think they’re happy for me.”

SMU (8-1) was selected No. 13 in the first rankings released by the College Football Playoff selection committee on Tuesday. The Mustangs are off in Week 11 ahead of a visit from Boston College on Nov. 16.