Video: Deion Sanders Jokes He's 'Mad' at Matt Leinart After Son Cole Committed to SMU

Deion Sanders used a guest spot on Fox's Big Noon Kickoff to have some fun with Matt Leinart after the former Heisman winner's son, Cole, committed to SMU over Colorado.

Coach Prime joked he was "mad" at Leinart for not even considering the Buffaloes as a destination for his son.

Cole Leinart, a quarterback recruit in the 2026 class, announced on Wednesday he would be playing college football at SMU.

The 17-year-old Leinart is a 3-star recruit in the 2026 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He had offers from several high-profile FBS programs, including Colorado, before picking SMU.

"I love the culture, what they are building, the coaches," Leinart told On3.com's Steve Wiltfong about what separated the Mustangs from the rest of the pack. "Love everything about it."

Colorado is going to have a big hole to fill at quarterback after this season with Shedeur Sanders in his senior year. Deion Sanders doesn't really recruit high school talent as much as he scours the transfer portal.

The Buffaloes currently have the lowest-ranked incoming freshman class for 2025 among Big 12 programs after having the lowest-ranked class in 2024. They did add 3-star transfer prospects Destin Wade and Walter Taylor before the start of this season.

Perhaps Deion can work his recruiting magic to get Cole Leinart to change his mind. There are still two years remaining before Leinart is set to begin his college career.

Matt was able to take the joke in stride, telling Coach Prime that he could call him to talk recruiting.

One of the teams that didn't have an offer out to Cole at this point was USC, even though he plays right in the Trojans' backyard at Redondo Union High School. Matt spent five years at USC from 2001 to '05, winning a Heisman and national title in 2004.

Even though the BCS stripped USC of its national title win stemming from sanctions imposed by the NCAA related to Reggie Bush's eligibility, The Associated Press still recognizes the Trojans as champions for their 55-19 victory over Oklahoma.