Key Takeaways
- Leinart pegs Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith as his 2025 Heisman favorite, citing a clear path in Columbus and elite talent.
- On Texas QB Arch Manning, Leinart urges patience: big talent, perfect stage—now he wants production before preseason hype.
- Dark horse: South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers; also keep Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, and Cade Klubnik on the radar.
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
Matt Leinart has as good a pulse on the college football landscape as anyone heading into the new season.
The FS1 analyst—who appears on “Big Noon Kickoff” every Saturday—has some of the most impressive credentials of any former player in the modern era of the sport.
Leinart was a part of one of the best football teams of the last two decades, but he had to wait patiently to get his shot to showcase his skill set as the USC quarterback in the mid-2000s.
After being swayed by Pete Carroll to join an ultratalented roster that already had future NFL No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer as the starting quarterback, Leinart had to stay calm and ready, taking notes and studying as much as possible.
When Leinart got his opportunity, he took advantage of it in a major way. He led USC to an 11-1 record in his first year as a starter in 2003 and was named Rose Bowl MVP. He put together a stellar performance in the win over Michigan, finishing the game 23 of 34 for 327 yards, while throwing three touchdowns and catching another on a trick play from wide receiver Mike Williams.
Leinart’s Iconic 2004 Season at USC
The next season, Leinart put together one of the best performances from a quarterback in college football history. He not only won the Heisman Trophy, but led the Trojans to a BCS national championship, a 55-19 blowout victory over Oklahoma, in which he threw for 332 yards and five touchdowns. It’s no surprise he was named MVP of the Orange Bowl that year.
In 2005, Leinart led USC to another perfect 12-0 record and was a Heisman finalist once again, but lost the award to his teammate Reggie Bush, who electrified the college football world that year. Leinart put together another outstanding performance in the BCS title game against Texas, but a two-point conversion in the final 19 seconds from the Longhorns quarterback Vince Young was a backbreaker for the Trojans. They fell 41-38.
When Leinart left the Trojans to declare for the NFL Draft, his No. 11 was officially retired. He was USC’s all-time leader in career touchdown passes and completion percentage, and was second at USC behind Palmer in completions and yardage. He was 37-2 as a collegiate starter for the Trojans.
With the 2025 college football season just weeks away, RG caught up with Leinart in an exclusive interview. The former USC star didn’t hesitate when asked about his favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2025.
Leinart Backs Ohio State Receiver Jeremiah Smith For The Heisman
“I would say let’s do Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State,” Leinart said. “We saw DeVonta Smith win the Heisman not too long ago, so we definitely have seen that and I think for the first time, there’s not going to be votes stolen from him. In the sense of like Julian Sayin, the young quarterback, even if he has a big year, I don’t think he’s going to be in that consideration so Jeremiah‘s got a shot to like really be the guy at Ohio State as long as they win, you know he’s gonna be up there, he’s phenomenal.”
Smith made a name for himself quickly as a true freshman for the Buckeyes last year, hauling in 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Leinart then pivoted to the most popular quarterback heading into the new college football season, but admitted he wants to see Texas quarterback Arch Manning perform at a high level before crowning him with any preseason awards.
“I would say Arch Manning naturally, you know I love Arch, I love the family,” Leinart said. “I am one of those that says hey let’s just calm the brakes and let’s see how he performs, because he’s going to be great, but like let’s just let him play and then see who balls out. But certainly he is really really talented. I’m really excited to see him develop. When you play for Texas, when you play in the SEC, when you’re coming off one win away from a national championship berth. Everything is there for him to lead his team to the national championship and potentially win the Heisman.”
South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers is an SEC Heisman Dark Horse
Leinart then mentioned an under-the-radar candidate that probably isn’t at the top of most lists. South Carolina dual-threat quarterback LaNorris Sellers is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he threw for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while adding another 674 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground as a runner.
While that stat line likely won’t be good enough to win a Heisman Trophy in 2025, Leinart thinks the Gamecocks’ signal-caller has a chance to make a major leap from his 2024 production.
Leinart closed out his predictions by mentioning Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, and Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik as three other potential candidates to win the Heisman this season.
“I think those quarterbacks on top teams, you know, obviously it’s cliché but that’s kind of the way it goes,” Leinart concluded. “It’s hard for me to look at those and not have them on the list.”
