SMU gains commitment from Cole Leinart, son of Matt - ESPN

California high school quarterback prospect Cole Leinart, the 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. Not currently rated by ESPN, he held several Power 4 offers and picked 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 part of what they have there.»

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

Matt Leinart was a three-time All-American with the Trojans from 2001 to '05, carrying a record of 37-2 across three seasons as a starter during which USC won back-to-back national titles in 2003 and '24. Leinart set 16 program records over the course of 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 Raiders.

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

Leinart began his