Big news coming to North Texas less than 24 hours after the SMU Mustangs landed at No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Son of national championship-winning quarterback Matt Leinart has opted to play his collegiate football for the Ponies.
The announcement was made on social media channels via Hayes Fawcett of On3. Cole Leinart is the No. 81 quarterback and a three-star prospect according to 247Sports. The Redondo Union gunslinger still has plenty of time to improve his ratings before he joins SMU for the 2026 college football season. The 2026 quarterback doesn’t have a composite ranking from 247Sports just yet.
The California native is only the second prospect to commit to the 2026 class along with Lancaster cornerback Victor Lincoln, who became the first commit back on Sept. 22, 2024.
This could be the start of the 2026 wave for SMU and head coach Rhett Lashlee. Currently, the 2025 class is ranked as the No. 25 class led by four-star offensive tackle Dramodd Odoms and four-star quarterback Ty Hawkins.
SMU will host Boston College on Nov. 16 at 2:30 p.m. CT.