Matt Leinart's impact on USC, as a player and to this day

The story of college football has to be told with former USC quarterback Matt Leinart. The southpaw leading drives and throwing the ball into the end zone for six as a Trojan is an integral part of the sport's history.

Not only did he mean a lot to USC, but his place in CFB lore is unquestioned. A two-time national champion and Heisman Trophy winner, Leinart proved himself on the field with the Trojans. He not only filled the stat sheet and won a number of awards, but he then returned to campus for another season when he could have gone pro.

Wanting to finish his degree and lead one more charge as the Trojans' signal caller, Leinart completed an impressive three-year span as USC's starting quarterback before being drafted with the tenth overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

Among a number of honors, Leinart, since leaving the Trojans as a player, has been inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. The BCS title game against the Texas Longhorns and Vince Young (yes, the knee was down) is what a lot of non-USC fans remember.

His 2004 Rose Bowl performance, however, deserves a tremendous amount of recognition, more so than what it usually gets compared to other past feats in college football. In a four-touchdown game, including three as a passer and one as a receiver, for 327 yards on the day.

Now celebrating a birthday on May 11th, Leinart does what he can to continue to help the Trojan family. The College Football Hall of Famer is also on the Big Noon Kickoff show coverage.

Present-day USC effect on the program

Leinart also directly played a role recently in helping out the Trojans fill a staffing vacancy. Former wide receiver Mike Williams is now entering his second year on the staff with Clarke Stroud; the former wideout works in the player development department.

It was Leinart at the time who put in a good word and was on call when coach Lincoln Riley informed Williams of his inclusion on the staff moving forward.

Not too many programs can boast of having two former first-rounders playing important roles in staffing decisions. This is what coach Riley has worked on since arriving in Los Angeles. And on Leinart's birthday, it once again shows one of the many great things that the program has going for it.