Best USC football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore

When Matt Leinart took the starting quarterback job in the 2003 season, he didn’t miss a beat from Carson Palmer putting up prolific numbers. The young quarterback hit the ground running at USC as he threw for 3,556 yards, 38 touchdowns and nine interceptions, which allowed him to finish sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting in his first year as the starter and leading the Trojans to a National Championship.

The following season, he remained the starting quarterback but rose to the top of the college football ranks. Not only did USC win yet another title, their 11th in program history, but Leinart was able to capture the Heisman that season. He threw for 3,322 yards, 33 touchdowns and only six touchdowns and even rushed for three scores as well to earn the award.

In his final season in Southern California, Leinart didn’t stop. The quarterback threw for a career-high 3,815 yards, 28 touchdowns and only eight interceptions and rushed for six touchdowns as well. While they came up short of a third-straight title, he was still just as great as ever at the helm of one of the greatest teams in college football history.

Leinart ranks third all-time in career passing yards and second all-time in career passing touchdowns. When you take into account his historical numbers over three years in addition to his Heisman success and the titles he won for USC football, he’s an obvious choice to make this list.