Many college football fans have begun to feel old when watching the sport of late, thanks to all of the children of former superstars they watched while growing up bursting onto the scene.
Deion Sanders’ sons are both starring at Colorado, while the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch, is set to become the face of the Texas Longhorns next season. On Wednesday, those who have already felt old will feel even older following an announcement by Matt Leinart’s son, Cole Leinart.
The three-star recruit out of Newport Beach, California, in the class of 2026, announced his college commitment to SMU. Leinart chose the SMU Mustangs over programs like Arkansas, Utah, UNLV, Colorado and Arizona. While On3 listed his father’s alma mater as one of the programs interested in him, the program has not offered Leinart at this time.
While On3 and ESPN haven’t ranked Leinart yet, 247Sports currently ranks him as the No. 81 quarterback in the country and the No. 158 player in the state of California, His father, who was a part of two national championship teams and won the 2004 Heisman Trophy, is widely viewed as one of the best college football quarterbacks of all time. The older Leinart is now an analyst for Fox Sports and also doubles as a TikTok star of sorts. He took to X to express just how proud he is of his son, while also cheering on who will now be his new favorite college team.
“Way to go bud,” Leinart wrote. “Proud of you. This is just the beginning! #ponyup.” The younger Leinart has a chance to be a part of an SMU program that has hit the ground running in its transition to the ACC. The Mustangs ranked as the No. 13 team in the first College Football Playoff rankings, and are in a prime position to contend for the league’s title.
