As college football becomes increasingly professional, programs aren’t only offering money to players to get them to transfer, they’re also offering jersey numbers. But not in the case of the No. 11 jersey at USC. That was retired in honor of Matt Leinart, and he says it’s staying retired.
“When I was at USC, I got my number retired,” Leinart said on his Throwbacks Podcast. “You win the Heisman Trophy, automatic retired number, which is pretty cool. So, our jerseys are hanging in the Coliseum on one side.”
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Leinart said USC has approached him about unretiring the number, when top recruits have wanted to wear No. 11 at USC. Leinart won’t agree to it.
“There’s been multiple times where people at USC have asked me if I would unretire my jersey for some five-star prospect,” Leinart said. “And do you want to know what I told those guys straight up? I said, ‘Absolutely fucking not.’ I am never going to unretire my jersey for some random dude who by the way now could wear No. 11 and transfer after a year.”
Leinart knows that fellow USC Heisman-winning quarterback Carson Palmer allowed his No. 3 jersey to be worn by Jordan Addison, but Leinart said he wouldn’t do that. Leinart did say he’d make an exception if his son Cole Leinart, a freshman quarterback at SMU, or one of his two younger sons wanted to wear No. 11 at USC. But that’s it.
“The only person that will ever wear my USC No. 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,” Leinart said.
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Asked what he’d say if a USC player with a big NIL deal offered money for the No. 11 jersey, Leinart said it’s not about money.
“Absolutely not. Would never do it,” Leinart said. “It’s not for sale.”
