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Cole Leinart, the son of former Southern California star quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, announced on social media Wednesday that he has committed to SMU.
A quarterback at Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, Calif., Cole Leinart is a three-star prospect rated the No. 81 quarterback in the Class of 2026 and No. 158 player in California, according to 247Sports.
"The culture they're building at SMU -- I just want to be a part of it," Leinart told ESPN. "I love the coaching staff. They're literally like family now. I just want to be part of what they have there."
The recruiting service had Leinart, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound junior, choosing SMU over offers from Colorado, Pittsburgh, Georgia State and UNLV. He formerly attended Mater Dei High School and Newport Harbor before transferring to Redondo Union this fall.
His father played for USC in 2003-05, winning the Heisman in 2004 and national championships in 2003 and 2004. Leinart played in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals (2006-09), Houston Texans (2011) and Oakland Raiders (2012). The Cardinals selected him 10th overall in the 2006 draft.
SMU (8-1) is No. 13 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, which were released Tuesday. The Mustangs are also No. 13 in the latest Associated Press poll.
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Indiana jumps Ohio State to No. 1 in new college football rankings
Indiana continues to make history in football, completing its first-ever undefeated regular season and securing a place in the Big Ten Championship Game, and now it has finally overtaken Ohio State as the top team in at least one new college football ranking. Sitting behind the reigning national champion all year, the Hoosiers finally catapulted Ohio State and moved into the No. 1 position in the latest edition of the ESPN power index college football rankings heading into the rest of Saturday’s Rivalry Week action. That decision came after Indiana dominated rival Purdue in a 56-3 demolition on Black Friday to win the Old Oaken Bucket in the 100th edition of the in-state trophy game. Kaelon Black ran for 2 touchdowns and Fernando Mendoza and Roman Hemby each ran for scores in the dominant victory, moving closer towards potentially securing a first-round bye in the playoff. How the model sees Indiana College Football Power Index is a computer prediction model devised by ESPN analysts that uses key data points from teams to simulate their games 20,000 times and make predictions for their future, ranking them on a projected scoring margin formula. Indiana edged out the Buckeyes by less than a point by that metric to move into pole position, as the model suggests the Hoosiers would be 28.3 points better than an average opponent on a neutral field, just better than Ohio State’s projected 28 point advantage. That tracks with what the Hoosiers have done on the field this season, coming into the regular season finale ranked No. 1 overall in college football when calculating average margin of victory. Hoosiers are dominating Indiana is currently beating opponents by an average of 29.8 points per game, just ahead of second-ranked Big 12 favorite Texas Tech (plus-27.4 points) and Ohio State, which has been 26.3 points better than opponents this season, ranking third in FBS. Not bad for an encore at Indiana under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, especially after analysts speculated in the preseason if the school would be able to replicate its success from a year ago, when it made its first College Football Playoff appearance. Cignetti pledged the Hoosiers wouldn’t take a step back, and they haven’t, instead taking a step forward by finishing an undefeated regular season. Unlike last year, when their perfect record was spoiled by a road loss at Ohio State, this year saw the program pull off a double-digit win at Big Ten champion Oregon, which had not lost a home game since 2022 before meeting the Hoosiers. Indiana boasts the nation’s second-best scoring offense and scoring defense, a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and are a cinch to make the playoff again. Can they move from the No. 2 spot in the AP top 25 or College Football Playoff rankings? Only if consensus top-ranked Ohio State loses on Saturday against Michigan, something they have done the last four straight years.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed that he offered Micah Parsons plus a first-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for Quinnen Williams during training camp. Jerry Jones says Jets turned out incredible trade offer for Quinnen Williams “I wanted a one and Parsons for Williams,” Jones said on 103.5 The Fan. That seems like an absurd offer, but Jones left little up to interpretation. “A one and Parsons for Williams,” he repeated. Later, he added that the deal did not go through because the Jets “did not have the cap room to pay [Parsons].” Jones also said something similar to WFAA’s Ed Werder: “We tried at training camp with the Jets to basically make an exchange that was ready to go, heads up, with Quinnen and Micah and a one, and we didn’t get it done.” Parsons, of course, was instead sent to the Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. The Cowboys later acquired Williams before the trade deadline for a package including a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Jones has slowly revealed more and more information about the Parsons trade since it was completed. During a September radio appearances on ESPN New York, Jones said that called the Jets regarding Williams when he was shopping Parsons before the season. The Jets were not interested, he claimed, because they “didn’t have the resources to entertain [the] conversation,” similar to his pronouncement on 103.5. If true, Jets made a big mistake If Jones’ latest revelation is true, that means two things. First, he was willing to sacrifice a massive amount of value to move Parsons and acquire Williams. Second, the Jets made a huge mistake in not accepting the deal. Although Williams is an excellent defensive tackle, Parsons is undoubtedly a better and more valuable player, even at a higher price point. This year, Williams has 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; per Pro Football Focus, he ranks fifth among interior defenders with 40 pressures but 38th with a 12.1% pass-rush win rate. Parsons, meanwhile, has 12.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, plus 67 pressures and a 24.3% pass-rush win rate, both top-three marks among NFL edge-rushers. In his career, he has averaged 0.89 sacks and one tackle for loss per game; Williams’ per-game numbers are 0.41 sacks and 0.60 tackles for loss. Those numbers may not tell the complete story of either player, but it seems like the Jets should have taken Jones’ offer. Sure, they would have had to pony up for Parsons’ mega-extension, but they were already prepared to move on from Williams. Adding an extra first-round pick on top would also give the Jets an opportunity to add another starter — if not a star — on a rookie contract. That would help to offset the financial cost of acquiring Parsons. How realistic is Jerry Jones' claim? But Jones’ words should also be taken with a grain of salt. He has spent a lot of time trying to retroactively justify trading away Parsons, especially after using some of the resulting draft capital to acquire Williams. Claiming that the Jets were not interested in Parsons and a first-rounder for Williams serves to downplay the former’s value and boost the latter’s. The idea that the Jets could not afford to pay Parsons does not hold water, either. After his extension, the All-Pro edge-rusher’s cap hit in 2025 is just $9.97M. New York certainly could have designed a similar contract structure and absorbed Perhaps the Jets didn't want to commit so much money to Parsons as they were clearly contemplating a rebuild. Parsons would still be a cornerstone for that effort, but he may not have wanted to weather any losing seasons in the hopes of a future turnaround. But again, adding another first-round pick would have accelerated that process, and a core of Parsons, cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson seems like a solid foundation for the Jets to build from. That is an expensive trio, but having elite players at three of the sport’s most important positions is a good problem to have. Instead, the Jets declined the Cowboys’ initial offer for Williams before moving him and Gardner at the deadline as part of what appears to be a full-on franchise reset.
Buffalo Bills legend reminds Keon Coleman 'you can be gone quick'
A Buffalo Bills legend provided some sage advice for Keon Coleman this week. Andre Reed enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Bills, during which he became fellow HOFer Jim Kelly’s favorite target within the vaunted Buffalo passing game during the team’s run to four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s. Now, Reed is hoping to spread some of the knowledge he gained during his time in the NFL in order to help Coleman take the next step as a professional. During a recent podcast hit on Bleav in Bills with Adam Benigni and Sal Maiorana, Reed delved into what he believes has prevented Coleman from reaching another level of performance in his second NFL season. “There’s something not connecting in there,” said the former Bills WR. “He’s got the talent out the yin yang. He’s a physical specimen. And he’s got to believe in himself that he can do that and he can make a big difference every single play if he wants to.” Reed added, “And I think there’s a little disconnect in his brain right now where he, all this other off-field stuff and all this other stuff that is going on. And I believe that (Head Coach Sean McDermott) is trying to show him, by sitting down for two weeks, that this game can be good to you, and it can not be good to you. And you can be gone quick. And I hope he sees that. And I know he does.” Coleman began the season as one of the Bills’ top targets in the passing game, but after being late to a team meeting leading up to a Week 11 meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McDermott elected to bench the former second-round pick, his third time being disciplined in his young career, and the second time this season. He was also a healthy scratch this past week against the Houston Texans, but McDermott later revealed it was not due to discipline, but rather because the Bills were forced to prepare for Houston on a short week. Reed is hoping Coleman’s inactivity over the past two weeks sent the 22-year-old a message. “Instead of me just going after him and saying, ‘You’re not doing this, you’re not doing — I kind of just tried to level the playing field and said, ‘Hey, do the extra stuff,’” said Reed. “Go in early. Do some one-on-ones with every DB after practice for 20 minutes. Do all this stuff and show these coaches that Keon Coleman is here to make plays and help this team win.” Coleman may get another chance to prove himself this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the Bills are dealing with a list of injuries at the WR position. Curtis Samuel was placed on Injured Reserve on Saturday due to knee and elbow injuries, and Joshua Palmer missed time throughout the week due to an ankle injury and is questionable to play on Sunday. If he is indeed provided with a jersey on game day for the first time in three weeks, it would behoove Coleman to take Reed’s advice, keep his head down, do all the right things and continue to work himself back into the good graces of the coaching staff. Otherwise, he could be looking at a change of scenery this offseason.
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Alex Bregman sends message to Cody Bellinger after Yankees report
Both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees enter 2026 with well-positioned rosters capable of making a run, but each faces the challenge of addressing two high-profile free agents. Outfielder Cody Bellinger and infielder Alex Bregman are both in need of new deals or replacements. Both are represented by agent Scott Boras as they look to secure contracts this offseason. Each is coming off a strong year. Bellinger posted a .272 batting average, a .334 on-base percentage, an .813 OPS, 29 home runs and 98 RBI across 152 games while providing elite defense in the outfield for the Yankees. Bregman, in his 2025 season with Boston, recorded a .273 batting average, .360 on-base percentage, .821 OPS, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs in 114 games. Both Bellinger and Bregman joined their respective teams in 2025, and with free agency now underway, last season could prove to be their only year in pinstripes or with the Red Sox. As Bregman and Bellinger enter the offseason, their focus has shifted toward staying healthy and sharpening their skills for 2026. Neither player is on an active roster, yet both have made it clear they are committed to maintaining peak condition while navigating free agency. In recent weeks, the two stars have been spotted training in Arizona, appearing to work out together or at least at the same facility. Their offseason program has been highlighted by sessions with Nemesis Baseball, a sports performance community that promotes itself on Instagram as “Sports Performance community for those who seek to reach their full potential / Built By Athletes For Athletes.” Bregman and Bellinger recently shared photos of their workouts, giving fans a glimpse into the intensity of their preparation. The posts quickly drew attention, not only for the training itself but also for the interaction between the two free agents. Bregman responded to Bellinger’s post with a simple message, “Dialed .” This interaction comes after a report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com predicting Bellinger's next team. According to Feinsand, "New York is the clear favorite to sign Bellinger." While the Yankees appear positioned to retain their star outfielder, Bregman’s future is less certain. The Red Sox have expressed interest in bringing him back, but they have not yet been identified as clear front-runners, leaving open the possibility that Boston could lose its veteran infielder after just one season. Over the course of their careers, both players have built impressive track records that place them among the most decorated stars of their era. Bregman has been named to three All-Star teams, won two World Series titles with the Houston Astros, collected a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger and earned All-Star Game MVP honors. Bellinger’s accolades include National League MVP, Rookie of the Year, two All-Star selections, a Gold Glove, two Silver Sluggers and a World Series championship with the Dodgers in 2020. His best years came in Los Angeles, while Bregman’s peak was with the Astros. Both were key figures in the 2017 sign-stealing scandal, yet that chapter appears behind them, as they now train together and show genuine camaraderie.
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