Matt Leinart is no longer the baby-faced quarterback leading USC to national championships.
During a phone interview this summer, the 39-year-old who now works as a college football analyst for Fox was driving between appointments while trying to keep his kids quiet in the car. He could have said it wasn't a good time, but he didn't want to put this off.
"Buddy," he told his son in the backseat, "hold on."
Leinart would multitask if it meant reliving the glory days of USC, which for too long have felt like a distant memory. In fact, he wondered if he had enough time to cover everything: Pete Carroll's arrival late in 2000 and the unique ways he won over players and changed their mentality, the stars such as Reggie Bush he brought into the program, and the steady climb in confidence and wins -- followed closely by championships and ticket requests from celebrities.