Son of QB who won Heisman Trophy in 2004 is heading to SMU

Do you want to feel old?

The son of a quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in 2004 has apparently found his college home.

Cole Leinart, a three-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-1, 180-pound junior signal-caller also had offers from Arizona, Colorado, Duke, Pitt and Utah.

According to On3, Leinart was visiting SMU last weekend when the Mustangs handed Pitt its first loss of the season.

“Good job, buddy. Proud of you. This is just the beginning!” Matt Leinart wrote on X following 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.

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