Matt Leinart's Son Cole Commits to SMU Over Deion Sanders' Colorado, More

The son of USC legend Matt Leinart committed to SMU on Wednesday, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3.

Leinart is a 3-star recruit and the No. 81 quarterback in 247Sports' rankings for the 2026 recruiting class. Colorado and Arizona were among the other schools that showed interest in the California native.

Leinart's father reacted to the news on social media:

His commitment comes after he made the trip to Dallas and watched the Mustangs upset No. 18 Pittsburgh 48-25. It was a great advertisement for head coach Rhett Lashlee and his offensive scheme as Kevin Jennings went 17-of-25 for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Leinart cited the "culture" at SMU as a major factor behind his decision.

"I love the staff and everyone around the program," he said to On3's Steve Wiltfong. "It feels like a family."

Per MaxPreps, Leinart has 732 passing yards and nine touchdowns through his junior year at Redondo Union High School. He transferred in this summer after having started at Mater Dei and then moving to Newport Harbor.

Lashlee now has two commitments in his 2026 class with Leinart joining cornerback Victor Lincoln.