USC has asked plenty of favors from some of its legendary players, but former QB Matt Leinart won’t budge on this one. The Heisman winner claims that his retired jersey will stay retired, especially in an era where prized recruits can wear it and transfer out just as fast after just a single season.

“When I was at USC, I got my number retired,” Matt Leinart said on Bakersfield Now. “There have been multiple times where people at USC have asked me if I would un-retire my jersey for some five-star prospect. And do you want to know what I told those guys straight up? I am never going to un-retire my jersey for some random dude who, by the way, now could wear number 11 and transfer after a year.”

“The only person who will ever wear my USC number 11 would be Cole, who’s not there right now. He’s at SMU. Or two of my boys if they end up going to USC and playing football. That is it,” he added.

USC’s administration has heavily utilized some flashy tactics to lure five-star talent. Asking an icon of the program to un-retire his jersey shows just how far programs go to secure a deal, making Leinart’s flat-out refusal a striking boundary against the excesses in modern recruiting.

USC retired Matt Leinart’s No. 11 jersey to honor his amazing career, championships, and Heisman Trophy win. Retiring a number usually stays permanent to protect a player’s legacy. Letting someone else wear it would be very hard because it takes away part of the honor connected to his name.

His frustration is a perfect example that highlights the messy reality of the NCAA portal era. With athletes treating programs like brief stops in free agency, handing over a legacy number to a freshman who might bolt next season simply does not sit well with the USC legend.

On top of that, Un-retiring jerseys is not an uncommon practice in sports, but very few players have done this. Back in 2018, North Texas University decided to temporarily un-retire Mean Joe Greene’s number 75 for one game. Greene, a football and Hall of Fame legend, had his number retired for over 50 years. The team wore throwback uniforms to honor him and his era.

Junior defensive end LaDarius Hamilton was chosen to wear the number for that game. This special act was done with Greene’s blessing and was part of celebrating his achievements, including a statue in his honor. But giving it up for players to wear it forever is a tough task, and clearly Matt Leinart is not signing up for it until it’s his own kids’.

Matt Leinart had an impressive career at USC. He took them through two AP National Championship wins and one BCS National Championship. Then that hard work got him the Heisman Trophy in 2004, and later USC retired his No. 11 jersey, and he even joined the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Leinart also set many records at USC. He threw for 10,693 yards, which is third all-time at the school, and he hardly ever threw interceptions. His teams won almost 95% of their games, one of the best in NCAA history.

After a remarkable college journey, Leinart went 10th overall to the Arizona Cardinals in 2006 and later also played for the Texans, Raiders, and Bills. Even years later, he stays connected to USC. Last year, he served as a tunnel captain when USC faced Michigan State, showing how much the school honors him and his contributions to Trojan football.

So, all that success means something to him, and giving it all away is something that Leinart doesn’t want to do. Nonetheless, the real question is: can his sons actually wear No. 11 in California?

The probability of Matt Leinart wearing No.11 at USC

Matt Leinart has three sons and a baby daughter (Camilla). Right now, his oldest son, Cole Leinart, is a high-profile quarterback prospect who has built his own reputation as a talented three-star recruit. While he started his high school journey at Mater Dei, he eventually moved on to Newport Harbor and finished up at Redondo Union High School with a 9–5 record, and made the finals of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Even though everyone expected him to follow in his father’s footsteps at USC, Cole decided to head to the beautiful state of Texas instead. He officially committed to the SMU Mustangs in late 2024 and signed his letter of intent in December 2025. He mentioned that he really clicked with head coach Rhett Lashlee. Since he’s going to SMU, we won’t see him wearing his dad’s famous No. 11 jersey at the Coliseum anytime soon, unless he balls out and Hollywood’s team makes an offer he can’t refuse.

What about his younger brothers? Matt’s younger sons, Cayson and Cannon, are still quite young and aren’t in high school yet. Cayson was born in January 2020, making him about 6 years old, and Cannon was born in May 2021, so he’s around 4 or 5. While Cole is busy preparing for his college career in Dallas, there is still plenty of time for his younger brothers to grow up and potentially suit up for Mater Dei and eventually the Trojans one day.