USC Heisman winner Matt Leinart grabbed attention by addressing a strange trend in sports: athletes requesting to wear jerseys that have already been retired by a team or school.
Instead of forging their own legacy with a new number, some players opt to unretire a legendary player’s jersey, which doesn’t sit well with many, including Leinart.
Matt Leinart Says Lincoln Riley Wasn’t Behind Any No. 11 Jersey Requests
Leinart shared on his podcast “Throwbacks” with actor Jerry Ferrara that USC has asked him to unretire his jersey for recruits who wanted it, but he declined. The discussion made headlines on Tuesday, with some speculating that Lincoln Riley might have been involved, but Leinart quickly set the record straight.
“Coach Riley hasn’t asked me if a recruit can wear my number so we can settle that right now. I’ve been asked in the past before and have said the same thing every time. This isn’t a big deal! Fight On,” Leinart tweeted.
As for Leinart’s mention of jersey unretirement, his rant was straightforward.
“When I was at USC, I got my number retired,” Leinart said. “There’s been multiple times where people at USC have asked me if I would unretire my jersey for some five-star prospect.”
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“And do you want to know what I told those guys straight up? 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. 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 enjoyed tremendous success at USC, winning national championships under Pete Carroll and taking home the Heisman in 2004 with 3,322 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017, but his NFL career didn’t mirror his college success, ending in less than a decade.
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USC has eight retired numbers displayed at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, including Leinart’s No. 11 alongside legends like Mike Garrett (No. 20), O.J. Simpson (No. 32), Charles White (No. 12), Marcus Allen (No. 33), Carson Palmer (No. 3), Reggie Bush (No. 5), and Caleb Williams (No. 13).
Meanwhile, jersey unretirement has quietly become a trend in sports, and the New York Giants announced in 2024 that wide receiver Malik Nabers would wear No. 1 after receiving permission from the family of Ray Flaherty. Flaherty’s No. 1 was the first number ever retired in professional football.
