The son of a former Heisman Trophy winner has made his college decision official on signing day.
Cole Leinart, a senior at Redondo Union High School, committed to SMU and head coach Rhett Lashlee last year, and on Wednesday, he made it official. The 6-foot-4 Leinart helped the Sea Hawks to a 9-5 record this past fall, reaching the finals of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs where they lost to Rio Hondo Prep, 29-7.
Leinart completed 56 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and 1,571 yards in 13 games, according to MaxPreps. He also had a pair of rushing touchdowns.
A Golden State gunslinger.
Welcome to the 214, @Cole__Leinart! pic.twitter.com/Y50uTR5erA
— SMU Football (@SMUFB) December 3, 2025
In two seasons at Redondo Union, Leinart was 193-for-339 passing with 2,658 yards and 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions over 21 games played. He rushed for 165 yards and scored two touchdowns as a junior, giving him 215 yards on the ground and four TDs.
Leinart started his high school career at Mater Dei before transferring to Newport Harbor. He transferred again to Redondo Union for his junior season, where he had to sit out four games due to California Interscholastic Federation transfer rules.
“The culture they’re building at SMU – I just want to be a part of it,” Leinart told ESPN in an interview when he announced his commitment. “I love the coaching staff. They’re literally family now. I just want to be part of what they have there.”
In the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings, Leinart is the 129th-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2026 and the No. 201 player overall in California high school football. He is considered a three-star prospect.
Leinart held 13 official offers from SMU, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, Georgia Southern, Incarnate Word, Maryland, Pittsburgh, San Jose State, UNLV and Utah.
SMU’s recruiting class has 22 players signed and is ranked in the Top 25 in the country. Along with Reinart, Christian Rhodes, Edward Kelly Jr., Aljour Miles, Jakai Anderson, Ty Crethers, Andre Nickerson and Zachery Turner are some of the key players who have signed with the Mustangs, who played in the ACC championship game last year.
Matt Leinart was a three-time All-American while leading the USC Trojans to back-to-back national championships in 2003 and ‘04. He held a record of 37-2 over three years as the starter, setting 16 program records and becoming the sixth Heisman Trophy winner in school history.
After his stellar college career, Leinart played six seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders. He currently FOX Sports as a college football analyst on the Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.
