25 biggest villains in college football history
By Brad Weiss
Matt Leinart
Quarterback, USC
During his run as the starting quarterback for the USC Trojans, Matt Leinart was the face of the biggest dynasty of the 2000s in college football. A tall, good-looking southpaw quarterback, Leinart was nearly unbeatable during his time with the Trojans, losing only two games, while notching 37 wins. USC was Hollywood, and Leinart looked like he could win the role as a star in a movie.
After three stellar seasons with the team, Leinart shunned the NFL, opting to return for his senior season with the Trojans. Seen as a legitimate first round prospect, the quarterback decided that he loved the life of being the Trojans quarterback too much to not live it up for one more year. He was over-confident, played with a certain air around him, and that certainly rubbed his opponents the wrong way.
It did not matter to Leinart, as he played every game with the notion that his team was going to win. In a famous interview after a game, Leinart said “we don’t know how to lose. It is not in our nature.” Certainly some strong words from a guy who would go on to win a national title with the team, as well as the 2004 Heisman Trophy. The National Championship was stripped from USC in 2011, but Leinart’s legacy with the school will never be forgotten.
Leinart did eventually get drafted to the NFL, as the Arizona Cardinals expected him to be their quarterback of the future when they took him with the No. 10 overall pick in 2006. He never quite lived up to expectations at the next level, battling injuries and inconsistent play. Still, his hard-partying days at USC are the stuff of legend, and as the leader of Pete Carroll’s USC program, he was one of the more hated players in college football history.