Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara - The Best of USC on Throwbacks

Episode Date: July 30, 2026

There are very few college football teams as iconic as the USC Trojans, and luckily for Throwbacks we have one of the greatest Trojans of all-time in Matt Leinart to talk about what it’s like to play for USC. Over the course of the show’s two seasons, Matt has taken the audience behind the scenes discussing some of the hidden moments and letting the world know just how great it was to be the quarterback of the National Champion USC Trojans. Whether it’s a date with Riahnna, or a practice pass to Will Farrell, or looking back at the legendary Bush Push or just what it was like to play with Reggie Bush, Matt tells it all and more on this special edition of Throwbacks.   A big thank you to our sponsors:  NHTSA: This Moment. Speeding Catches up With You. Paid for by NHTSA. www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding    Uncrustables: Uncrustables sandwiches are ready from your fridge!    New episodes of Throwbacks drop every Thursday. Make sure you’re subscribed on YouTube and following on all podcast platforms. Also, make sure you’re locked in on social @ThrowbacksShow on all platforms for highlight moments, bonus content, and to engage with the guys & the Throwbacks community. (http://throwbacksshow.com/)          00:00 Show open  02:55 Will Ferrell came to USC practice   05:09 Owen Hanson the cocaine QB joins the team as a walk on  11:43 Reggie Bush was the college football GOAT  12:07 USC was the team of the 2000s  16:44 Matt went on a date with Rihanna  19:46 The night Matt won the Heisman Trophy  20:28 Matt had the most chemistry with Reggie Bush   21:56 The times people asked Matt to un-retire his No. 11 at USC  29:05 Ronnie Lott is on the defensive player Mt. Rushmore  30:09 Ken Stabler is one of the GOAT left handed QBs  30:44 Matt drank with Michael Jordan after the 2006 Rose Bowl loss  32:28 Getting trash talked after winning the Heisman   34:00 Meeting Nick Lachey while playing at USC  41:00 Adam Ray on being at USC during the championship runs   43:29 Matt’s greatest drive in USC history vs. Notre Dame  47:34 Evan Turner went to the Bush Push game during a recruiting visit   50:54 Jared Allen almost transferred to USC   53:23 Charissa Thompson stalked Matt at USC  54:19 Would Mark Ingram’s Alabama have beat Matt’s USC?  56:38 Reggie Bush’s NCAA investigation   1:00:13 Barry Sanders idolized USC running backs  1:01:53 What was it like at USC for Owen Hanson?  1:05:58 USC was the Greatest Ever  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the celebrity stories to who showed up at our practice. And, dude, I mean, I got to throw a pass to Snoop and Will Ferrell in my career. The people that we got to meet and kind of bump into and were like fans of ours, you know, at the time, which is crazy to say. But it was incredible. Welcome, everybody. Episode of Throwbacks. Do us to solid. Go over to all the socials at Throwback Show, especially that YouTube.

Give us a subscribe. It's free to hit that button. Don't cost you nothing. Maddie, we are a solid. officially gearing up now. We are in the summer. We're gearing up for our season three, which basically starts when football- Hell yeah, baby. Let's go. Hey, so. Clap it up for season three, throwback. We closed so strong because like the Knicks championship and we had some great guests, but we are now in the doldrums, at least sports-wise. Oh, it's the worst month. It's the worst time of the

year to be a sports fan. The World Cup got us through. Yes, it did. It did. But now we are officially... By the way, did you watch more soccer in the past month than you have in your entire life? by far, right? By a million. I started playing the FIFA video game. By the way, by the way, that game is, I've been playing that since I was low. I've never played it for a minute.

And shout-outs to the producers of Ted Lassow who scrambled to do another season. That show was over. They paid everyone a fortune, and they dropped like next week because they knew the World Cup was going to propel them to a highly viewed season. Yeah, but we have a good episode for you today

as we wind down in the summer and get ready for season three. We've compiled the best of throwbacks, where we took a few of our favorite topics from over the years, compiled all the good stuff into one episode. And this one,

we're kicking off, Matt. Personal favorite for me, because I get to sit back and just listen to your amazing stories, but we're kind of compilating all the USC stuff we have talked about on this show. Oh, so many good ones. You got to listen,

but I think from the celebrity stories to who showed up at our practice and, you know, the Will Ferrell's and the snoops. And, I mean, and the game, like the rapper, or the game was a big part of that back in the day. The people that we got to meet and kind of bump into and were like fans of ours,

you know, at the time, which is crazy to say. But it was incredible. And then just obviously the football stories and the games and some of those moments like the Bush Push, the Oklahoma game, obviously. Owen Hanson. Let's not forget Owen Hanson. Owen Hanson. I mean, if you haven't gone to see that, go see that doc.

Owen Hanson, Cocaine quarterback. By the way, won an Emmy. That's right. He has more EMS than I do. That is true. Yeah. It took him a three-month documentary. Three months.

Yeah. But yeah, man, so many great stories. It's definitely a fun listen for sure. Did you actually, and I think it's in, is it in Pete Carroll's book? Did you actually throw a sideline pass to Will Ferrell? Is that whole thing true? I don't know if you ever told that story on the pod, but you did. Dude, I mean, I got to throw a pass to Snoop and Will Ferrell in my career, which is pretty cool.

Yeah. So Pete used to do, Pete used to have like, you know, he used to do these big pranks on the team. And he also used to do like, he used to invite out celebrities like that and he wouldn't tell us because they would do a bit or they'd do something funny, especially at Wolf Farrell. So I don't remember exactly how it came about, but I think like Wolf Farrell was dressed full head to toe in uniform helmet, everything. And I think Pete like had something like, hey, someone's here to talk to you or we have a new recruit or something like that, right? There was some story like that. So we're all kind of like, you know, word gets around a little bit low. I heard Will Ferrell's here, all this kind of shit.

So I think from what I remember, he comes out. He catches it? He's just doing his thing. He's freaking hilarious. And then, yeah, I think he gets in the huddle and I throw him a go route. I think a go route. I think he dives and catches it. I think he catches it.

I mean, it was like a fade, you know, or something like that. But yeah, it's just stuff like that that I think we could only do it at USC, you know, in that time. You know, you can't do it now. One, because you got to win and you got to win those things. But yeah, that and. Snoop and so many other fun stories from my time at USC. But Will Ferrell, one of the best, man.

And the best part about that, Jerry, is you probably have run into him. But like, after that whole thing, we go get lunch, me and him. And maybe whoever was there with him, but he went to USC. He was a frat guy. Like, he's a Trojan.

And we're sitting there at lunch. And we're just, we're talking like two normal guys. Now, I'm a kid. But he's like, it's not, Will Farrell, you know. It's just like, yeah, man, like I had a black. It's just Will. It's William, yeah.

So I was like, this is crazy. Well, I always say long before, well, I know the Rams were in L.A. a long, long time ago, but long before the Rams and the Chargers and football started and finished with USC back in the day. So we have a nice little compilation, a best of throwback style, USC. Or if you never walked on to the football team. which is a crazy, which is a big part of your store, but you walked on, because you met everybody

and you kind of got, you've got exposed to sort of like this lifestyle, right, through all of us. Like, Maddie, we were red carpet. Every week, we were living the dream. We, like a Thursday night, we were in Hollywood. Josh Richmond's put in the red carpet before. We had Josh.

Josh is awesome. Dude, he's a legend. He is a legend. Like, if you never, if you never even play football, and SC was right, because SC you can get into stuff. And we all, we were probably, we were boys even,

if you weren't on the football team. But like if you never play football at USC, you probably wouldn't be here today. You probably would have done something else. And that's, it's wild. I probably would have been somewhere, you know,

working a nine to five, working maybe a real estate developer, what I enjoyed to do. But I always tell people, like, man, if I didn't play football, like Matt just said, and I wasn't around,

all my friends are going to the NFL draft. You know, Matt has a big contract, Reggie has a big contract, Sean Cody, Frosty, all these guys that were hanging out with Mike Williams. Yeah. Man, like, where do I fit in, right?

And it was already like that because when I went to USC, I was already the son of a construction worker. So it's already like, okay. Chip on the shoulder a little bit. Yeah, everyone has a silver spoon. So how am I going to make it? And that whole time I was like chasing. Like, how am I going to fit in?

Like, how am I going to survive? And that's why I got into hustling, you know, gram bags for my fraternity brothers, you know, steroids for my teammates. And the list goes on, you know. I remember going to cobble, San Lucas on a spring break. You know, I'll never forget this. I'm like, how am I going to make money

to be able to party with all these kids, right? I'm like, dude, I'm just going to figure it out. And I remember going to where I'm from, Redondo Beach, and there's a rough side, north side Redondo, which is a little rougher. It used to be rougher. Now it's not as rough. And I remembered these kids I went to high school with,

you know, gang members. I'm like, dude, I need a favor. I need you guys to hook me up with some blow and some ecstasy. I said, front it to me. And they did it. They said, here you go. And I remembered, dude, I just, I said, I'm going to figure out how to get these drugs into Cabo San Lucas for the spring break.

Like, people usually don't bring drugs in. There's dogs at the airport, too, wait. Wow. So how did you do it? So I did it, dude. I strapped on. I got our compressor shorts that we got it on the football team, these Nike compressor shorts. I made them nice and tight.

You know, they were a size small. And I just wrapped it, wrapped it, wrapped it. And just put it. put it where it needs to go, right? And I'm not going to say where, but it went there. It's where it needs to go. Not the hole now. No, get off, man.

Come on, man. So I said, you know what? As long as I push that green button, when you go in the cobwe, it's a pass-air, you know, green or red. As long as that thing goes green, I'm good. And I talk about it in the book, the California kid, because I was nervous. All my fraternity brothers are looking at me like, dude, are you okay, bro? like sweating. It's like midnight express.

By the way, you get caught in Mexico. Oh, yeah. You're going to a Mexican person. There's no rules. Yeah, there's no rules. And I remember I push that passet, right? I was like, oh, yeah. And literally the next guy behind me hit red.

I was like, oh, wow. Well, I just made it. I made it by one? I made it by one. And I remember that trip. I was like, okay, I'm good. Like, I remember, I think I made like $10,000 on that trip. And I sold a gram for $100.

and I sold an ecstasy pill for 20. And I think I had like two ounces, so 56 grams. And then I had 300 ecstasy pills. And people were just looking at me like, dude, that's the man right there. And I remember the first day on the beach, it was the mango deck, right? The office down there. Office, dude, people were coming up to me. Great spot.

And Jerry, I felt like the man. I had every chick from Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA, everybody wanted to hang out with Odog. And I was like, dude, this is the life. Like it just brought me like like to the next level. Yeah. Well, because that's what I think is so unique about your story too because, you know, a lot of times it just boils down to all right, well, you just wanted to make money. Yes, of course. But like there is other things that come to it. It is a powerful feeling. It is a feeling of like, not that you fit in, but you more than fit in. People are seeking you out to get what you're kind of providing. And like early on with the doc, which I wanted to ask you when you were playing volleyball, and I don't know, you tell you, because you were so highly recruited.

Then you get to SC to play volleyball and like everyone's kind of great, right? You're great, but everyone's, everyone's great at the sport. You wouldn't be at SC if you weren't. Jerry, I won two national championships at 17 and 18 years old on the beach. National championships. Yeah, that's unheard of right. Yeah. Gold medals as a beach volleyball player.

Then I go and play at Redondo High, which, you know, Matt's son goes there now. And I become this all-American top-50 player in America for volleyball, which is pretty pretty pretty, pretty, pretty, daily breeze player the late year. So I'm like, cool, I'm going to have a good career. You get to USC and guess what? Everyone's All-Americans. That's everyone's story. You know, I'm playing behind Brooke Billings, who's an Olympian, All-American jumps 45 inches, you know.

And I'm like, okay, I guess I'm not that good, you know. And I was the shortest guy on the team. I was six-three with the 37. inch vertical and I was the shortest guy on the team. That's crazy. And I was like, man, it was a bummer because you go there for volleyball. And I remember that day they called me in the office and they said, Hansen, we got to cut you. We're going to redshirt you. I'm like, what do you mean? Cut me? I came here to play volleyball. You guys paid me to come here. You're telling me you're cutting me? I'm like, fuck that. He's like Hansen, you got to work on your vertical jump and your arm strength.

And I was so mad that day, Jerry. I remember I said, you know what? I'm going to show him. And that day I drove down to, actually I drove down to Redondo Beach, the Golds Gym. Yeah. And I went to the biggest body blue there. And I said, hey, what do you recommend? Yeah. I said, I need to work on my vertical and my arm strength. And he starts listing all these steroids. I'm like, the light bulb went off. I'm like, okay. That's my way. That's my way. I'm going to show my coach that I have a vertical and I have a arm, you know, a swing like a, like a whip, right? So the guy gave me this list what I needed and that's what I did.

I think I got to play with arguably the greatest college football player of all time. It's a great call. The must watch TV and to be a part of those teams with him. And just to always say like I had a front row, it was box office every weekend, right? I had a front row seat to a video game. So give honorable mention to my boy Reggie. USC, man. Like last week I did my favorite team.

was my all-star team that I was a part of because I'm living that right now with Kaysen. I'll do the same thing for college. It's so much fun to be a part of those teams to win two national championships and to be close to winning a third. I know we lost to Texas, but again, man, just like NFL's great.

It is what it is, but the college, those teams were just epic to be a part of. Could we stay here for a minute? Because, you know, we've talked about your USC days a lot on the show, obviously, such a big part of your life, just like we talk about the entourage days. But for one minute,

just paint the picture for the audience of what it was like to be the Heisman-winning quarterback of you. Part of the picture is in the early 2000s, there was no pro football in Los Angeles. USC was the team. So what that was like being in L.A. as the football team,

not only in the country for football, college football. But then in LA, who, you know, you got the Lakers, the Dodgers, the Dodgers, is right up there with that.

It's crazy, dude, because when, like hindsight is, when I look back, I'm like, holy shit, that was,

like, we were treated like rock stars. If I go back and I put myself back in the moment, that's all we knew. I didn't know any different, right? So, like,

like, that's what people always ask me. It was like, I'm like, dude, I'm like, like, all I knew was celebrities

coming to practice, and like Snoop singing and Will Ferrell. All I knew was like getting into the club with my boy and going out there in the offseason. And like literally like tables, that was the, you know, the pre phone. That was when the club was just peak. You and I lived at the same time. And it was A-list celebrity after A-list celebrity. No phones, no cameras.

Everyone just having a blast. And like us, like people coming up to us and hobnobbing with us like, oh, what's up, whatever was out there. it was normal. And to your point, the Lakers had just finished their three p. and they had those four or five really poor years after Shaq left. So they weren't really a factor.

The Dodgers weren't on their Dodger run yet. The Kings weren't on their Kings run yet. We were the team of L.A. We were the team of L.A. We were treated like a professional football team. And looking back, it's like, dude, I did what? I met who?

Like, I told the story. Like, that night I won the Heisman trophy, I'm next to Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and the whole cast from Longest Yard, and they're like stoked to meet me and we're all partying like, congrats, Matt, let's go. So dope, man. I'm like, I think in the moment I'm like, what is my life? But like, I'm 20, I'm 21, dude. Like, you don't know any different.

So that's what I always say, man. But when I look back now, I'm like, holy shit. Like, what a run, dude. What a run. And one of the coolest things I'll always say is, you know, because I was there. in LA for those years, it just, when you see that a sports team or even an athlete, like we were just discussing, become also part of just culture, not even just sports culture, culture, like everyone knew. Like, my mom knew who you were.

Were you aware of, were you, I've never asked you this, like, we, because we never crossed past. Were you aware of USC football and like how great we were in that era? Like, were you like, oh, this USC football team's knowing you now, you're a New Yorker, but like, Like, did you watch us? I'm the perfect case study for USC because I move out to California in 2000. I don't have a college football team. Right, right. Because in New York, there is not.

I didn't go to a big time college. I hardly went to any college. So I come out to L.A. loving, like, the Giants and football and all that, and there's no football. So I did go to, like, a UCLA game at the Rose Bowl, which was cool in, like, 2000. And I was like, eh, this team's not really my thing. I went to one USC game. I think it was, I think it was, oh one or oh two.

But there was like a tailgating thing before. We were down by the beach before. I was with Hawk from American Gladiator. It was like this crazy Hollywoodish story. And I was a nobody. And, yes, I knew. I knew how big it was. And then once I did start, like, going out a little bit and I started working on entourage.

Like, it was always known where you guys were. You know? Oh, our shout out to our boy Josh Richmond, man. We were just. It was just wild. Huge. So, like, we walk into a club, you look at a table or wherever you guys were. I'd be like, yeah, that's definitely the USC football team. There's a bunch of monsters over there, you know?

Man, it was a time, dude. I'm going to say this for the first time. First time? Talk about protecting, no, protecting who I took on a date. And I think it was Teddy's. It was Teddy's. First of all, for one second, I was say Teddy's, some of the most fun I ever had in my life. I didn't go out tons, but when I did, Teddy's was like one of my feelings.

How did this? I want to... But, got, set the table. I can't believe you're doing this right now. Let's go. Let's go. I already got clearance. I'm good.

You got clearance. You got clearance. We've been through... Clearance, clearance. We've been through a lot. Right. Seen a lot. A lot of like good, bad, crying.

Hard. Hard. Just, life is beautiful in a lot of different ways. And here we are. Like, hey, you want to come on my podcast, Josh? Six worst words in L.A. You're like, yes. I say no to this shit all the time.

Let me tell you. I was so excited. I did. I know. I was like, we've been thinking of you. We're just, you know, we're trying to. So what are you about to tell me here, Maddie? So I'm about to tell you that I took this girl on a date to Josh's club and no one knows this. Okay. And talk about protection. I took Rihanna on a date. I didn't know what you're going to say. Okay. Two Teddies. Whoa. Was it Teddy's right? It was.

And do you want to hear the lead up to this date? Please. So this, there's some more context to the story, but I'm just going to leave it at that. I think it's like the third time. And this is like, it's either like all or nothing. dude like I already fumbled it away like it was just whatever and I'm like call Josh I'm like hey I'm this what I'm doing like can you help me get like sneak like whatever like whatever the words you need some bad you need your boy to help you out come in the back door let me know when you're here we'll come get you whatever I don't even know if we showed up together but it's one of those things right and uh I think Akuna was there I think it was the I think it was like her and I

you were in and out kind of like leading it and then our buddy Daniel who's who was the one that's kind of middle of but the problem was is I had this fucking ginormous blister on my lip. On your date, mad. I'm sorry. Dude, I can't even. I tell you what, dude.

It's like, were you nervous about the blister? Are you kidding me? Did you get the blister because you were nervous? I got the blister because I was in the sun. Like, I would get these sun blisters. And I felt like when I used to be super fat when I was little.

And I'd be like afraid to take my shirt off of P.E. And you know, you're so embarrassed. You're like, oh, please don't look at me. I've been there, bro. I've been there. I was literally. That day, that day, I'll never forget. there and then I don't know who in my world was like, dude, they're like, you're okay, bro.

You're going to be fucking fine. You're going to be fine. I'm like, no, I'm fucking not. You had a hype man. Dude, so the whole time, and Teddy's was dark. So the whole time we're at a little table, dude, and I'm sitting across from her, Josh is her. And I'm just like, I couldn't make eye contact, dude. I'm like, I'm like this. I'm like, yeah, so, so, like, I couldn't talk. It was the, she's playing. She probably thinks you're being aloof. This is great. No, no. This was already like, the ship at sale. But like, she, she came in. She was like, get me out of here. Yeah. She was like, she was like. like, oh, this poor kid.

And I remember, I think Daniel, after one of our buddies was like, you fucking are an idiot. You blew it. To my face. He's like, you just blew it. But yeah, that was a... I can't believe you got the clearance.

Clarence good. The night of the Heisman, we're in New York. And it's Noah Tepperberg's got marquee. And that's my boy. But they weren't really athlete-centric. But I just said, listen, trust me, this is a good thing for you. You want this.

It wasn't just mat in his buddies. It turned into like 30. people. Party of 30. You got Herb Street falling over here. You got Urban Meyer over here. You got every player. You got the whole families. I mean, it was crazy. I literally walked it to a club with 30 people. 30 dudes. And right next to us was

Samler, Chris Rock. They were shooting the longest yard, the remake. And it was that whole crew was literally right next to it. What a night. My God. And don't think it wasn't fun for people, by the way, also to like see him or Reggie or these people in their heyday. People were stoked. Well, I had the most

chemistry with my center. You know, Oh, wow. It's intimate. You definitely clicked it and didn't risk it. I would say, I would say Reggie Bush. And it may sound obvious, but, but, and I would go back to the Bush push play is one play, right? The infamous play. We've talked about a thousand times and every, but to be on the same page of that in that moment with everything on the line.

I mean, literally everything for that season on the line. and him understanding the situation and give me a little push and all that. We joke, but genuinely just knowing, like having that chemistry. And then more with Reggie, too, it was just he practiced so much at wide receiver because he was one of our best wide receivers

and he was the best playmaker in the open field. I just always knew. Like, I always knew what the fade route look like. I always knew what the slant and go look like. I always knew that, like, hey, if I just get it there right, I always knew that with him, right? It was just one of those things where it was very unspoken in the huddle.

You just had an idea and you went out there and you executed. And that just shows up in, right, the stats, the wins and all of that stuff. So that would be for me the chemistry of Reggie and I, we played three years together and an incredible run in so many plays or we just knew, right? We just knew what was going on. So for me, it's Reggie. Our jerseys are like hanging in. in the Coliseum on one side, like all of them.

So from OJ to fucking to Caleb to Carson, Reggie's jerseys back in there in the Coliseum. That's dope. And it made me think of this. There's been multiple times where people at USC have asked me if I would unretire my jersey for some five-star prospect. And do you want to know what I told those guys straight up? I said, absolutely fucking not.

I am never going to unretire my jersey for some random dude who, by the way, now could wear number 11 and transfer after a year. The only person that will ever wear my USC number 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. And then Cole hit me up a couple of years ago. He's like, Dad, hey, Dad, uh, it's linebacker. I think he's going to see.

He wants to wear your jersey. Would you let him wear it? I said, fuck, Brianbacker? Oh, you are you? This ain't Lovar Arrington and Penn. state we're in the sticks, bro. This is, this is ace at USC. So, so funny, though, absolutely not. Would never do it. Well, would you need a few days, though, to think it over? Because, you know, these kids make a lot of money now, bro. Which, by the way, real quick. So Carson, were number three.

He let Jordan Addison, the receiver, wear number three. And that, I don't know exactly what happened, but I think that was a little bit of a shit show. So he let Jordan Addison, who was the big recruit we got from Pittsburgh. He was like one of the first big kind of guys we took in the portal and all that kind of stuff. Obviously, he was a good player. But he wore number three at USC. And Carson was that. So apparently they had a phone call, all this stuff.

Is that like a way to sweeten the pot? Like, all right, here's your deal. And then we'll throw in. Shit, we better to get Carson on the phone. We'll throw him number three. You could call me selfish, whatever. But I'm just, I'm not doing that. How many days would you need just to think.

over. It's already done, dude. No, no. What I'm saying is if one of these crazy five stars who's maybe walking into USC and he's getting, I don't know, two, three million bucks a year and he's like, Matt, that means so much to me, I got a check with a million dollars on your name on it. I'm not saying your answer changes. All I'm saying is how many days do you need to think about it?

Your answer can still be no, how many days? A million from an 18 year old kid, no. It's not for sale. All right. It's not for sale. And that kid probably a chance at him stand at USC after two years is slim anyway. So it ain't happening, bro. I'm keeping that up there forever.

You call me selfish. Give a shit. You talked about being asked here or there over the years from SC. Like, hey, how about we? Can we unretire that? I mean, talk about viral. I can't go on my phone without seeing that story. about somewhere else. What's life been like since going viral in that throwback story?

Well, you know, just like and subscribe to throwbacks and you'll get a lot of great stories from us. Yes, sir. Dude, it's hilarious, man. Like, I'm on a ski trip, you know, earlier in the week and I'm getting blown up on my phone, like, all this stuff. And like, again, again, it must have been a slow news cycle because it's, it's not a hot take. I mean, I think pretty much, I think over, I mean, I think about 90% of people have agreed, like, what's the 10% saying? Oh, they're just the haters that hate me and just talk shit about how I sucked in the NFL and that kind of stuff.

Like, which is whatever. I do want to clarify, though, because I do think the way it was perceived is like USC in recent times has asked me. And I basically said how you disrespect me like that. Absolutely fucking not. Like the context is one, I clarify, Lincoln has not asked me in the last five or six, I think this year five. They have not come to me. This isn't a recent thing.

But there has been times, I've been gone 20 years from USC. There's been times earlier on where it said, hey, would you ever consider doing this? We got kind of a big time prospect. And the answer then is the same as it is now. No, I will not, unless it's one of my sons. Now, if they want to go and do it on them, and then that would be complete disrespect if they don't ask. But just to clarify, like, I love USC, Link, like, they've been great. It's just, I think people take it and they'd be like, how dare USC come out of him in Alaska?

Like, that hasn't happened. Well, McAfee stirred the pot early. I think it was McAfee. First was Floreal. Then McAfee picked it up, stirred the pot some more. Then it ended up on PTI. And then it just went everywhere. I mean, crazy.

I mean, listen, like, it's my favorite number of all time. I wore 11 growing up. That number represents what we were able to accomplish at USC, which is incredible. I was fortunate to accomplish a lot of things as a player, but also as a team. It's up in the Coliseum next to some of the greatest players to ever play. There's a lot of tradition there. And it's a, it's a complete honor for me to have that. And then I just said in this day and age of athlete, it would really be hard for me to kind of like to give it up based on these players jumping around and doing stuff for money and this and that.

And I think you asked me, is it, is it for sale? It's just not for sale. It's not for sale. It's not for sale. Unless, unless Kaysen and Cannon in about 12, 13 years are football phenoms. so they want to go to USC, then go for it. They can both wear it. When speeding while driving, you have less time to react to whatever comes across your path. A sharp turn could take you by surprise, causing you to veer off the road.

Another car could turn out in front of you leading to a fender bender. A truck could break suddenly injuring you and the other driver. A pedestrian could be walking near a dog and your foot on the gas might lead to a tragedy. You may not think any of these things could happen to you, but you won't see them coming until they happen.

When you're speeding, you don't have time to course correct, and it only takes an instant for disaster to strike. The speed limit isn't just there to protect you, but everyone around you too. So slow down, obey the law, and keep everyone on the road safe. Speeding catches up with you. Paid for by NHTSA. The great Ronnie Lott. I think we just heard big game talk about LT, who's arguably, who's probably on the Mount Rushmore, greatest defensive players of all time.

lot by far is on the mount rushmore of greatest defensive players of all time four time super bowl champ i mean the the old myth story of just tearing the pinky off on the sideline which we don't know if it's true or not uh ronnie lot was in our locker room all the time at u sce when i was there yeah did you get to know him a little bit yes and i will say this as as people watch big game james is is that you talk to me you're like man big game james one of the great just a great human being a great dude and obviously great at what he did. Ronnie Lott is very soon. Yeah, what's Ronnie Lott like?

He's one of the greatest people I've ever met, man. Humble, loves being a Trojan. Every time I talk to him, he's just like, he's just the best, man. Like you walk away, you're like, man, Ronny Lott is one of the greatest human beings. Not only is he one of the fiercest most hate, like just one of the fiercest players of all time. Number two is probably going to shock people, but I'm going Kenny the snake Stabler.

Yeah. And the reason why, is because our equipment guys, shout out to our equipment guys at USC, they nicknamed me the snake. And I had Snake written on my cleats for every game. Because my guys have been around a long time. They're like, Matt and Matt,

you remind me of Kenny the Stabler, man. Like whatever leadership, the way you played, and I was a lefty. He played, obviously, for the Raiders in the 70s, Houston, New Orleans, first left-handed quarterback to be named MVP and win a Super Bowl. So shout out to the snake.

He's one of the greatest to ever do it. I know I was about 26 years old in 2006. You were then 22, whatever, 20. What was Matt Leiner up to in January 2006? Dude, we just lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl. I think January 5th or 4th that year. So you're now two days removed from the loss. That was the beginning of a concussion.

That was the beginning of a concussion for me after. You got concussed. I got a little, I had a little too many drinks the night before at the Cabana Club. and ended up, yeah, I think I headbutted my brother. Are you like drowning your sorrows or are you just all, oh, you like, no, I was just, I was, I just was so drunk that I think I had butted my brother and I concussed myself for like six weeks before the draft. So you didn't get a concussion in the championship game.

Your brother concussion. I did. I did. I did. I actually got, oh, yeah, I got dinged up in that game in the second quarter, various, you know, a degree of a concussion because I played the, the second half I actually was like, I was bawling. So, like, it didn't affect me.

But I got my bell rock. I went down. And two days later, your brother rings your bell again. Yeah, so then that night we, that night I was, you know, obviously crying. I was upset and my college career is over. The next day or the day after we went to Cabana Club in L.A. when it was popping. I remember that was, I think that was my Michael Jordan story, which.

Oh, is that what you were drinking with? An Oakley? Yeah, I've told that on here, right? You've mentioned it. And then when I went to the Jeter, Oakley's always there. And I was like, you know what? This is either going to go well or poorly. Yeah, that's when I had.

I had a shot with MJ. Yeah, that's when I had shots with MJ. It was like great game. He set the game. Blocked out that night. And then apparently the next day, the commanders won a playoff game. They want a playoff game.

Any trash talk right after that of, like, is the defense call out? What's up? Heisman? Oh, it's the highs. Any of that stuff? No, it was. Were you with the other team?

Like, you're going to play? Oh, well, my team, no. They were pumped. It was just like, we had just gone through it with Carson Palmer two years before. So it was just it was such a I remember getting back and then just standing up from the team just say man this is a team award Love you guys you know that type of thing and then But Oklahoma I'll never forget so we go out to Miami and We're playing them and the week long you're there you have a lot of festivities you do by yourself and then you do as both teams

Like a dinner or like you know whatever and we had one event we did with them and I'm probably very similar to what I am now is probably a little bigger but like, you know, it didn't really look like a tremendous athlete, you know, a big, tall, white dude. And I think his name was Larry Berdyne. He's a defense event, and I'll never forget. We're there. We kind of walk and passing. And he goes, that's the highest match trophy winner? This guy right here.

Like, he was just talking. Wait, from Oklahoma? Right to my face. Oh, yeah. And because Adrian Peterson, who was on their team, finished in his second. Beat him out. We beat him out. So they were all pissed and thought AP should have won.

And they literally did that. And I was like, you know, not all swag. I was like, all right, you'll see, whatever. You know, I was like, whatever. Came out, five tutties threw for like $3.50 on it. I was talking smack to him during the game. It was one of those things where, like, it couldn't have been more perfect with someone talking smack.

And then you just dominate them by 40 points. Back in those days, I was doing, I was doing newlyweds. So I was on TV all the time. Huge SC fan. I went to SC. So I was always on TV and SC gear, always, you know, watching the game. and he'd obviously either seen it or heard about it. So we happened to be at the same bar one night

and, you know, just got introduced. These dudes are like the Beatles, I feel like, right? SC and LA. What's that? Do you remember the name of the bar? It was guys. Guys. Yeah.

Remember guys? I do remember guys. I feel like I got kicked out of guys for. Guys Sunday night was like big jazz. Was it Sunday night? I don't think it was a Sunday night. We were there, but yeah. I was with Braun.

Shout up Braun as a mutual friend. And I remember we're sitting there. And I was, gosh, I think I was 21. I might have been 2021. And he goes, dude, the Shays over there. And I told a story, I've told him this. I, my high school girlfriend had a poster of them up in his room. That's a big flex.

I've since apologized. I swear to God. I was like, I was like, so like, obviously I knew who Nick was, but Braun's like, dude, he's a huge SC fan. You should go say what up. And that was literally how we met. I think I went up to him and said, dude, huge fan. And then I think we hung out like, I think I came to your house back.

Like, we hung out. And then it was just like we're boys ever since. And back in those days, man, it was just the best at SCC because, you know, you get on the sideline and it was just, I mean, they were unstoppable. The whole atmosphere was just unstoppable. It was awesome. So it was so good. So you went to SC.

So then growing up, though, you didn't have any, because I always go through this, I don't have any college football affiliations. Like I grew up in New York City. I didn't really go to college. So I love college sports. I just don't have a team. I'm like a guy without a country. So did you have any like college fandom before or once you got to SC you were like,

this feels right? Yeah, I mean, growing up in Ohio, I'm one of the few that's not an Ohio State fan. Everyone knows this. I just do not like Ohio State. I'm a Cincinnati Bearcat thing. But anyone who's followed Bearcat football at all knows that they have been terrible for the majority of my life.

So, yeah, I was more of a Bearcat basketball fan, SC football fan. And then obviously when I went to school there, you know, then I really became a fan. But I was always kind of a closet, you know, SC fan. Even back in the, you know, I remember like the Rodney P. Pete days. Oh, yeah. And yeah, it was, when Notre Dame and SC were one and two, and he had those battles going on. And so, yeah, I was always kind of a closet S.C. fan, but it didn't really kick fully in until I went there, you know. All right, let's do some all-time adventures driven by Nissan. Take adventure to new heights in the all-new 2025 Nissan Armada. Go to nissan USA.com

slash armada to learn more. I don't think a lot of people know this, but you, you walked on. You attempted. Well, tell us that story. It is, he attempted to walk on. You tried to walk on at USC? That's a credit to you. Yeah, walking on is a very loose term. Anyone can walk on to the field.

Did you put pads on? No, because it was, you know, it was the involuntary, voluntary spring practice where you're not even allowed to throw footballs yet. You have to throw softballs. Like, you're not even supposed to be practicing, but, right. But everyone's out there. So I was a theater major, right? So every day on the weight of my day.

to dance class, I would pass the football team coming out of heritage hall. Man, that looks cool. And I'd go past them. And so that was the year that Larry Smith got fired, and John Robinson had just come in. So they brought John Robinson back. There's a lot of hype. So one day, I'm passing the football team on the way to dance class. And I said, hey, coach, you think I can play for you?

And he said, are you fast? This sounds like Rudy. It sounds like the opening of Rudy. Keep in mind, I never played a down organized football in my life. I went to a performing arts high school in Ohio. You're actually well with it. You need to be an athlete, though. I had no.

I've literally never put pads on. I've never played football. So I said, yeah, I'm pretty fast. He said, you can play in my back field. So I said, Mom, you got to send me the cleats. I had one pair of cleats. They were stark white Joe Namath. Joe Namath.

Low cleats. She sends these to me, and I said, I cannot go out there on the field like this. But I took the physical. I did the whole thing. And then I went out there and Charles White, you know, legendary. Yeah. Heisman trophy winner is the running back position coach. And I have no idea what I'm doing.

I'm out there in basketball shoes. You can tell who the real guys are because they have team issued stuff on. I'm out there on like basketball shorts and a total scrub. And Charles is just screaming at me. You are pathetic, you saw it. This is the greatest thing ever.

He's not wrong either. He's not wrong. I'm out there just soaking it all. It was literally the only time I've ever played football. Did you have a, did you have like a dream to play football? Like you didn't play growing up. So like what prompted you? You're just like, oh shit, this could be pretty cool.

Always wanted to play. And my mom said, you can't play until high school. So she said, and I went to, I started going to this performer at art school. And then I just fell in love with that and didn't want to leave to go play football. So, yeah, I mean, clearly it was the right move for me. What, like, you know, the what ifs, what if you actually ended up playing? Do you think that would have? I would have been killed.

No, but like you played, you got the kind of the bug. Would that have changed your course of music? You know, that's a good question, man. I think a lot of the, a lot of the reason I felt, a lot of the reason I felt confident enough to move from Cincinnati to L.A. and start a band and do all this stuff. It's because I went to a performing arts school.

Like, they made you feel like, okay, you're, you know, you've got talent, you've got potential. So if I hadn't done that, I'm not sure I ever would have, like, had the balls, really, to come out and do that. Funny thing, I just thought, I was, because Matt did mention that you might have, and Matt just tells people like, oh, he tried to walk on at USC.

Your story gives a lot more context the way. And by the way, I'm skipping dance class every day The best part of that is I'm walking on my way to dance class, and I ask the coach, hey, do you think I can play for you? That one might get clipped for social. So when I was just doing a little, you know, I know a lot about you, obviously, but I'm kind of this funny like the shit Wikipedia says, but it does say about your bandmate Jeff who had like gave up his aspirations.

This says on Wikipedia. Hold on. He planned on a career playing football in the NFL. But then in 95, he sang in a college party, three friends, and got a positive reaction. So the way Matt's, it's like, so Nick's pursuing college football, Jeff wants to be,

you guys just were like, you know, let's hang up this football thing and start a band. If like you didn't know the context of the story. You know what? We'd be in the Hall of Fame if we hadn't given it up for a boy band.

I think the one game that stands out is, well, there's two, the Rose Bowl, we lost to Texas in the national championship game. I was more nervous earlier in my career in college and then as I got more, game day was always probably, how you feel like on game day, right? It's like it's show day. Nerves are a little bit,

but your juices are flowing. The adrenaline kicks in. That was the one because that was, that game was so much pressure on us to win a third in a row. No one had ever done that. So I personally felt just a lot more pressure. And we played pretty well. We just ended up losing. I probably, I was a big college football fan growing up like for UW, but like it went up a notch like at a sea. It was because it was like religion and it was, I mean, dude, I mean, I mean, What a, what a lucky thing to be at that school at that time. Bro, it was wild. And I'm now getting to like finally like tell you about it.

I was telling Jerry, like I could probably rap with Adam for hours on just like, because I get asked all the time. I literally like the number one question is like, dude, what was it like? I'm like, what do you mean? Like, what was it like to be at USC? I'm like, for us, it sounds kind of weird. But like it just became norm. Like we were just like, we were kids living there and we were just treated that way because that's, that's all we knew.

Yeah. I would be curious because obviously the story when you went on Edelman, who I love, and he told that story, it was like, I didn't even know you in college, right? But we have a lot of mutual friends. What was it like for you guys just in that time? It was nuts.

Bro, you based your week around football. I studied abroad in London for acting school, my junior year. And I was so, I almost didn't go because I didn't want to miss being around season. And my mom was like, you got one other year, you got to go. And then she was like, at least auditioned if you don't get in, then you know.

And it was only four months, but still it was like, you know, I was fucking just always checking in. And, you know, what was the lot? You know, but I, you know, we, I was in the frat for sophomore through senior year, but just lived there sophomore year. And, but just like walking over to campus, tailgating. It was like, it was an event. And it was, you know, I don't think I'd been around a team, you know, had the 90s Mariners run that, like, was electric and kind of took the city by storm. but I hadn't been in a city, especially like L.A. where it was like just dominant.

And it was like everybody was all about it. Bro, Mike Williams was in... I mean, now I got to tell you one of my stories, my class. Short-lived Seahawk. Mike was in one of my classes. It was... And it was like the first time I was like friends with an actor. You saw him one time probably the whole semester.

Maybe three or four. Yeah. But it was like, it was... I want to say it was sex in the ancient world or was it was an English class. But either way, he was there briefly, and I was just like, I remember jokingly, I go, I go, Mike. Biggest fucking human being of all time. Enormous.

I didn't want to say 6-6 in, yeah, 240. Blood type, or negative, pin number of 4265. He was so big. And I remember jokingly being like, yo, Mike, will you like write this paper for me? I'm like really like. Behind. And he goes, man, he was like, I was going to ask you. I go, dude, I was joking.

The greatest drive. So when I think, honestly, when I think of Nissan Armada, I think of my mom. When I think of my mom, I think of USC. and when I think of USC, I think about the greatest drive potentially in USC history. Oh, this is going to be so much better than my story. And when I was thinking about it, I actually have to give this speech next week for a USC deal

and this is included in it because a lot of Trojans love just the stories, right, and adventures. And so I was going to talk a little bit about the fourth and nine drive in Notre Dame and you know Brady Quinn a little bit now so you can kind of get a feel. But we're first down and 10 on our own 20-yard line. First play is an incomplete pass. Second down.

Second down, I get sack for a nine-yard loss. So, wait, no, first down is incomplete. Yes, second and 19, or third and 19. We go to the sideline. We get about half-bag, a little checkdown to Reggie Bush. It's now fourth and nine. We call a timeout. I'm on the sideline with Steve Sarkisian head coach, Texas.

Obviously, Lane Kiffin's in his year, head coach of Ole Miss and Pete Carroll's right there. Pretty incredible staff. And I'm sitting there. And actually, another one, another buddy of ours who's going to be on our show quickly was on the sidelines of that game as well. But I won't mention his name. At that moment, and I tell this, at that moment, it was the loudest I've ever heard

Notre Dame Stadium in my life. Notoriously not a loud stadium, cool history tradition, but not like a, you know, like not a great home field advantage. I walk back in the huddle and it is just. just like, boom, you can't hear anything. I'm yelling and I'm looking everybody at the eye and I call to play and I say, be alert for this audible if they blitz, et cetera, et cetera. And sure enough, it is loud.

I'm under center. Ryan Khalil, Hall of Fame center. I'm in there. I kind of tap them. I start to audible and the guys pick up the signs. Dwayne Jarrett runs a slant and go. And the ball, lucky, I'm honestly lucky through the ball just lands right in his bread basket. Inch either way, it's an incomplete pass.

We lose. he gets it he starts running like a like a baby deer dwayne wasn't fast he had long as strides he got hocked at like the 12 15 yard line go a couple plays and then we score on the infamous bush push game yeah and the funny story about the bush bush is i'm sitting there and we're on the one probably the half yard line and there's eight seconds left and if i don't get in we lose i remember and that they were they were we were waiting for the whistle tom zibakowski who was was the safety for them, was that became a professional boxer, like an amateur boxer, like a pretty pretty good athlete. He was right in front of me, like knew I was about to go up the middle.

He just knew it. And I looked at him in the eye. I tried not to look at him in the middle. It's like, don't look at him in the eye. Don't look at him in the eye. I'm coming right in the middle. It's like, it's like taking a penalty kick in soccer. You don't want to look at the goalie, right? And sure enough, I snap it. He like jumps over like Levar Arrington style kind of hits me right there. I do my little pirouette. And sure enough, my boy, Reggie Bush pushes. me in the end zone for victory and then a birth in the national championship game in which we lost. But that was incredible drive, adventurous, all these types of things, man, brings back great memories just talking about it. It's one of those things if you're a college football fan or

you just watched. It's like one of those where everybody's like, I remember where I was when the Bush push happened. Yes. I believe, because we weren't shooting at that point, because what is, was that like December? It was October. October of 2005. So we may have still been shoot. Usually we start finishing right around them, but I was definitely in L.A. Definitely.

Well, I believe I watched that game. I might have watched it with Max Greenfield, by the way. 05. I might have watched it with friend of the show. Max Greenfield. No, it was entourage days. It was entourage days.

But yeah, I think we watched it there. My God. So Ophos, you're 19, 20? I was the senior. So I was 21. I was fifth year. Not a lot of 21-year-olds doing that. This is an apology message from Uncrustibles.

They made the perfect pillowy soft game day snack and then also made you wait up to an hour to eat it. Maybe you've seen the Thaw Hack videos going around. People so desperate to thaw out their uncrustables, they wedged them in their armpit to warm up under their pillows. The other day, my son tucked one of his uncrustables into one of my old hand-womers for my playing days. I don't even know where he found that thing.

My boys have their own methods. I don't even know what they're doing. I just, I hear them in the kitchen. And then I see them later and they're crushing one of their favorite uncrustables. They even have their baby brother in the mix. I think they put one under like the playpen the thawed out the other day. You shouldn't have to do all that, Jerry. And now you don't have to because now you can keep uncrustable sandwiches in the fridge.

So they're ready to enjoy right when that craving hits. There's no more wait time. Personally, I can say I accept their apology. Because when it's game time for me and my family and we're running out the door, I grab an uncrossed the bull straight from our fridge. It's either Mattliner or Reggie Bush is winning the Hizman, but those are like two of the most elite athletes I've ever seen at their age. So I remember driving from South Bend, I mean from Chicago all the way to South Bend,

we watched the game, I believe it was like the Bush Bush, right? Yeah. So I remember being in like the student section on the other end. I can't see. So we don't know what's going on. I just remember you guys cheering. I remember like a bunch of people just crying all around. me. And like literally, and I remember like my coach was like, yo, that's the greatest game you'll

ever see. Like those two kids put the game on their back. Like, liner's pushing Bush for the highs men. He's like, that's how you got to be it. I just remember like, oh, that's awesome. Like, I always been like a pretty big thing. I was like, damn, like, liner's a man. He's on MTV made and he's like hitting all the local shoes. Like, oh, boy, man, that's, that's, that's that's who you got to be. And Nick Young was telling me everything. Dude, I got, I got punked, remember? We talked about Ashton Critcher punk me on Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. That's interesting, too, because that game, it's like always, I love, I mean, like you, do, I love hearing stories because it's like, it's that game in the USC Texas game, the game we lost. It's like, where were you when you watched that game? And there's so many great stories. That's awesome that you were, that you were in that. Yeah, that was a hell of a game, man.

God. And I just, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, we called them. Noter shame. Can't stand in another game. Were you ever nervous during that game or no? Or were you like overly kind of you did y'all really think y'all can never lose? Yeah like no there was I mean I would if I probably be lying if I said there wasn't a little bit of doubt but you know how it is like when you're in even in a hoop game like when you're in when you're in the thick of it and you're not like I'm just the only time I was actually nervous was for it was like fourth and 20 and I'm like our third and 20 I'm like we're on our own 20 yard line they have all the momentum. Notre Dame isn't typically loud, but like that game was the loudest it's ever been.

And it was like, hey, get halfback. Check down to Reggie. And let's fourth and ten. It's the best playing college football. Check it to Reggie. Fourth and ten in football is pretty hard to convert, man. I don't care what level. Like it's just, there's not a lot of plays that are like designed to do that.

So, but I'll never forget, man. We were, we were real confident. It just was like, I'm just in a zone like, all right, it's fourth and nine. I'm going through my process of like, the line of scrimmage, do I audible, what do I see? Like, you don't really have time to think about being nervous. I do always say, though, if I didn't score that, that, if Reggie doesn't push me, like, it's probably the biggest regret I have in my entire life, because I wouldn't have

got him. But thank God. But thank God. That's crazy. I remember they were getting so crazy at Notre Dame. Some white lady was next to me. He's like, you come to Notre Dame. We burn couches.

And I'm like, what the fuck is that? We burn couches. She's like, we burn couches. So every time I get drunk, I'm always like, we burn couch. What the fuck does that mean? I have no clue. And everyone, what the fuck is he talking about?

I'm like, I don't know. The greatest part about that, Jerry, that game is if you watch, like, you can see highlights on YouTube, the stands after we score their faces, like the students. I remember watching it. It's just like, like, someone died. Well, you know, we could have been teammates because my sophomore year, Coach Uperessa, left Idaho State and went to USC and became the old line coach there

and so they offered me a scholarship and because I had my so I had my, I still had my redshirt because I didn't register right and so I was like yeah I'm in he's like but back then we didn't have the transfer portal so you had to go and get your coach had to release you and they wouldn't give me my release he's like no I'm not releasing my next one

that's a pretty big what if right's a great what if and so you know I was like okay So you can still leave, but you couldn't accept money. And at the time, I'd be laughing. Now it's cheap, right? USC at the time was 18,000 a semester. Right? And I was like, we can't afford 18.

Was that 03? Would that have been 03? Would have been, no, would have been, 02. So my, oh, well, 2000, 2001. So I graduated in 2001. It was my first year. And then so I came out. I was like 13 All-American my sophomore year.

So it was after my sophomore year. are, you know, all the preseason all American stuff. And so oops, bails, right? And I remember. He was our office coordinator. And he was like, call him. And then he's like, you got to let me know. He's like, I got to get a scholarship with someone else.

If you can't take it. I was like, well, talk to Lou. I wonder who, I wonder who got that scholarship. I don't know. Yeah. I was, I don't know. I was sitting in the office. And my coach is like, nope.

Ain't happening. And I was like, well, I guess I better, they're made due when I got here. So, uh, which probably for the best. You know what I mean? Who knows what happens? You go. You get. get to an SC, you're, you know, red shirt and you're probably, you know, I end up with great

D-Line coaches. So, but yeah, that's always my, my client of fame. Me and the girl would laugh about it. Ryan, I was like, could have been teammates, bud. Yeah, I see Ryan all the time. You could have, what was I going to say? Oh, Coach Ogeron. Coach O'Jon would have been your D-Line coach. He was, okay. Was he the D-Line coach? He was our D-Line. He took the Ole Miss head coaching job. You would have been already gone in 04, but he was a D-Line coach for all the, I mean, he was great. He was fucking a nut though. You guys were, I mean, SC.

That was, we were rolling in that era. Yeah. I'm good. It had to be, I mean, close to a decade. You guys ruled the pack 10.

Yeah. I wanted to go to Udub out of, out of, but Washington was great too. That's right. That's right. That's right. That's right.

They had two off of soap and those guys. Yeah. Once I realized, I didn't have anywhere near the graves to get into Notre Dame to play for who holds. I was like, all right. Better bring it back closer to home.

You guys go way back, right? I'll tell the story, Matt. So in college, I did. a USC baseball player. So I'm at school at UC Santa Barbara, go gauchos, and my boyfriend was on the baseball team.

Well, I had a massive crush on Matt, and his wife Josie knows this. It's already been discovered because everyone in the country had a massive crush on Matt Liner. You're the quarterback of USC, the national champions that you are.

So my boyfriend even knew that I had a crush on him. So that's how it went. Anyways, I would see Matt at a Mexican restaurant that was near campus. campus called El Cholo. And I would see him there and I was like stare at him awkwardly. And then my boyfriend's like, you're making this really weird.

And I was like, oh, am I? Anyways, Matt and I didn't know each other than I was just his stalker. And then we formally met when he started working at Fox. But yeah, now I consider him more of a brother. Coach Meyer, congratulations, got into the Hall of Fame this week. We were all together earlier this week on Monday. And I was there with, I was talking with Alex Smith, who was his coach at Utah. was great.

And Dan Mullen, who Dan Mullen was coach's OC. So that's, they kind of invented their like spread offense and all this kind of stuff. And, you know, they, I mean, coach and both coaches were on a, they were liquored up a little bit, you know, before they had to go speak. And they were talking so much shit to me in front of Alex. And Coach Mullen goes literally, he's like, in the season, regular season, probably not. But, you know, like for one game, for a natty bowl game, hey, just, just flip a coin. I go, I go, you got to be fucking out of it. You're mine, Coach.

Utah and your silly-ass little spread. That year against our defense that year, no chance. That USC team was ridiculous. I grew up a big fan of that team. Lendale White, Reggie Bush, Matt Liner. I forget who all they had on defense. Who do y'all have Maluga, like Clayman. 0-4 was like Sean Cody was a beast.

We had Terrell Thomas. Set Ellis. But all those guys were young. Like Maluga said they were all like backup. or like start kind of backups on the 0-4 team. It was Lofa Tupu, who was a pro bowler in Seattle for a long time. Eric Wright, who ended up being a pro-bler in the NFL, but he got kicked out of school after that here.

He went to – I think he went to UNLV. Darnell Bing was a freshman All-American. Mike Patterson played for the Eagles. We were just – we just had a good team. They were loaded. That team was just ridiculous. But me and him haven't really went head-to-head on what would have happened on our games. It's usually him and coach.

Yeah, that would have been a good game, man. I got a lot of respect for Maddie and – Yeah. And them Trojas. They were the dynasty. They were the dynasty. Before Bama. Yeah.

Then it was kind of like Florida. Florida and then Bama. Two years, two out of three years. And then Georgia. Yeah. And then we won six. And then, you know, now Georgia, we had to stop them from winning three in a row. You know what I mean?

They got kids. We beat them in the SEC championship and they got put out of the 14th player. Remember that? Yeah. So, yeah, yeah. But no, respect to the dynasties, man. But you got the ultimate prize, bro. You got the ultimate prize.

I got that thing. Yeah, you do. I love, yeah, you got like, look at this. I got that thing. My dog. Yes. My husband brother. You know what's going on.

You know, I lived that with Reggie, with Reggie Bush and USC. I'm sure you're familiar with that whole deal. And I remember, you know, at the time, we were, you know, we were on top of the world. We were dynastying all these things. And people were sniff around. And, you know, Reggie has a story. story and all those things that I love is my boy. I always support him. But I remember kind of like SC kind of sticking their nose up to the NCAA and saying like, you know, fuck you guys,

you guys can't come after us, blah, blah, blah. And they were like, oh yeah, well, we will. And to this point, and it's just, I just feel like there's a lot of parallels with YouTube. Just like to this point, I'm just like, man, like whatever Reggie did or didn't do like the Heisman, all of these things, it was complete bullshit when a lot of kids, a lot of of people were just kind of like you like kind of trying to survive and all this but like you just said you know don't take a piece of bubble going man I remember all the time like I couldn't you couldn't go out to lunch with someone unless you knew him like prior to high school like there was this like your like relationship thing um I just found it interesting there's a lot of parallels with like

reggie was a scapegoat for the NCAA at the time they made him an example which I thought was just highly unfair similar to your situation and Matt and come close to your heart I mean, shit. You could tell me. I mean, I was, yeah. Yeah, but no, it's not be real. You know, George Rappen was the USC guy. Yeah.

Jerome Stanley was a USC guy. You know Jerome Stanley, right? Yeah, well, I mean. He shot Johnson's agent. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, Tim Floyd got in trouble at USC. Me and Tim Floyd had a bad, bad breakup, man.

Did you? Oh, I had nothing but a positive experience with him because I was there for a couple years with like Nick Young and kind of like that, like that era and then he got out. But yeah. He called me one night and said, if Earl Watson don't see, I think he was at Howard State.

Mm-hmm. Earl Washington don't sign with me. Earl Washington ain't going to be nobody. I was like, what the hell you mean? He ain't going to be nobody. He needs to sign with me right now. And then we kind of fell out so Earl didn't go to Iowa State.

when he went. I've said this story is I remember when I was, I don't think I've ever told you this, Jerry. So like, I remember, I think I was done. So like technically I didn't do anything wrong. But like we were SE, I think it was Tim. We were recruiting OJ Mayo. OJ. Mayo was this shit.

Yeah. He was a star. And I'll never forget I was on a, I think I was done. So I was getting ready to combine. This was like maybe January, February, February, whatever. And he was on, like, a little recruiting trip. And I was in a golf cart with him.

I think it was his dad and someone else. And they had asked me, like, hey, we want this kid. And I don't know what other shit happened outside of that, other than I was on the golf cart. And I said, I said, bro, like, you're one and done. You know, you're going to be one and done. Come here. You're in L.A.

You're going to get whatever the hell you need. And the conversation kind of went like that. I was on a golf cart showing him around campus and all this. And he signed like a month later. He's one and done. And he left, man. Yeah. That was my only recruiting story that I had to help USC basketball. But that was when Floyd was there.

Yeah. And Tim Floyd, you know, he did what he had to do. But like I said, the only regret I had with the shoe company was they misled me on Collier. You know, I as a kid, man, watching those USC running backs, you know, and Marcus Allen and Charles White and Anthony Davis and those guys and me living in Kansas. USC was always on TV, right? So I was always watching them. But I was always a fan of running backs, whether you're talking about USC running backs or were you talking about, you know, Herschel Walker at Georgia or Billy Sims at Oklahoma

or Tony Dorset at the University of Pittsburgh. I mean, I just always love running backs and the list can go on and on and on. So it was great to be, you know, a part of that legacy of those type of players, you know, who had an impression on me. You know, so, so I, you know, I can't complain with how, you know, how things worked out with me and really proud to be in that, in that group. Jerry and I were talking about this when we knew you're going to come on. It's like some of the greatest backfields of all time.

And whether it's collegiate or pro, and I mentioned like Marcus and Charlie White over at USC. I think Marcus was like Charlie White's fullback, which is kind of crazy back then in the 70s. No, I watched that. I watched that. Did you watch that? I was in the USC.

Yeah, yeah. You know, Charles White, Anthony Davis, I mean, those guys. Oh, AD, yeah. I mean, yeah. I watched all those guys as a kid. And, you know, and so, and like when Marcus, you know, I remember him a little bit as when he was a freshman or whatever playing fullback for Charles White. But his senior year, dude, that's one of my favorite years of watching football. You know, like, they could do nothing with the guy, you know, and obviously he ran for 2,000 yards.

And so I remember that year like it was yesterday. That was a big decision you made And that opened you up to a whole lot of shit Because we were fucking We were kings We were kings like the Beatles Right But I'm just saying like everyone

I'm sure they asked you Everyone asked me like what was it like Then I'm like honestly It felt normal Because that's all we knew But then looking back I'm like shit It's not normal

No you see videos now like of us Partying you're like damn We were rock stars Right So that moment You realize the light bulb Okay wow I can do this shit Wow this is pretty cool

This makes me feel kind of powerful then you feel powerful because you're on the football team. Like just that time in your life, like describe that. That was the greatest time of my life, right? You were unstoppable. Like I felt like Superman. I was taking steroids. I was sniffing cocaine.

I was dating the hottest chicks in every sorority. And I was part of the USC football team, man. It doesn't get any better that. Two national championships, might add. You know, I think we lost one game, right, Matt, to Cal? Three times. Three overtimes? Three overtimes.

Three overtime to them to win. So I remember like, dude, I said, this is life. Like, where do you go from here, right? Do you remember the first time meeting? Like, who's this, like, because you were the only, for the walk-on. You were the only person who walked on that. And then the next year was playing Matthews.

You know what was crazy about watching the dock, dude? And it actually made me, I was telling you, it made me a little bit emotional, dude, because I was like, like, oh, fit in right away, I think. I don't remember like we had our boys. Like we were just fun, dude. And like, O dog fit in right away to everybody. You know, just like, and maybe, maybe like watching them,

maybe it was because you were trying to fit in so much because I didn't know your. But I was a chameleon. You were a chameleon. Like, like, oh, it was just fucking, he was just fun. He was like, whatever. But I never, I never really knew that you probably, that you were doing all this shit. Like, wow, we were, why we were hanging and stuff. Well, it's just like, Jerry, it's not something you want to tell your eyes.

You're trying to stay a little low. I appreciate you on it. Like there's people like my dad and mother to this day. They're like, we didn't have a clue. I'm like, yeah, mom, that's not something I'm going to tell you. How active were you like on campus kind of like this, I guess you could call it a side hustle at the time, right? Like I said, I just wanted to pay for those drinks at the 9-0 or a 28th Street cafe. It was just, dude, it just started like that because, dude.

I'm not sure we ever paid for a drink. Oh, he did it, but your date, right? You just want to be the man. Like, here, let me get you that. But, dude, I just wanted it to cover my expenses because my mom and dad, they didn't give me anything. And I was like, this is how I'm going to get by. This is like my hustle.

And I planned it so well, I remember, I was living at the beta Theta Ptheta Paternity house. And I planned it so well, we'd go to, we had double days in the summer, right? And I would have my fraternity brother who lived with me at the beta house. I'd like, okay, I weighed out all the grams for them. You know, there would be like 300 grams in this. to her and I'd be like, okay, there's ecstasy here, there's Xanax here, there's Adderall here. Remember, every 20 grams you sell, you get one on the house.

Every 20 ecstasy pills, you get one of the house. Yeah, you gave a commission, right? So he's like, good, dude, this is awesome. Thanks so much. How much were you selling those for? Dude, I was, dude, the grams were like, I think 60 bucks, right? In a gram, the dealer down the street at, like, Arco Gas was like selling it to these fraternity kids for like $100 a gram, right?

So I undercut the market. and my stuff was way better. These guys were stepping on their stuff. But it wasn't even me selling it, right? I just sat back and I would go to practice, I remember? And I'd come back, he's like, oh, fucking yaked out of his mind. I'm like, what's the matter, well, he goes, we have a problem. I go, what's the problem?

He goes, we're out of Coke. I said, that's a good problem to have. That means we're out. Yeah, we sold all our inventory. That means you've had like three grams yourself. Well, you don't want to hear we're out of coat and does not. Money. Yeah.

Oh, there was money. That's when there's a problem. You pull the sock drawer out. Literally, there's just 20s full. Back then, people used cash.

Well, you came in hot today. You came in with some memorabilia of Mr. Liner. And at first, I wasn't quite sure what you had there. Do you want to pick those up? Well,

these size 95s are Jacks pleats. Matt Liner's game-worn. Wow. Wow. Number 11. National championship winning, Leads.

Oklahoma 11. Okay, my ticket. Actually, set next to your dad, your dad who snuck in. Jack? Yeah, I think of Jack in his leg. And I'm not really a drinker. We're pounding.

We were so hyped. And then that looks, yeah, that's, oh, my God, that's nuts. I want to see that, though. No. That's mine. Let me see that. This is the play wristband.

Wow. And the mouthpiece. Back in 04. This could have fetched a lot. Wait, let me. I want to see that, Matthew? I just, I don't want to see that. I just,

I don't want to see the wristband. Oh, here, give me this goop. I don't need the mouthpiece. He doesn't want the mouthpiece. That thing has been washed in 21 years. Let me just see, because I remember, I remember Clear's Day some of the plays we scored in that game on, for sure. Scored a lot that game, so it might be hard to remember. We've just lost Matt to the K-hole.

I loved, I remember, because it's color-coded. It was Sluggo. Everything was Slug-Suggo, Sluggo, Sluggo. Slug-Wing, Notre Dame. So yellow, I hated because it was always a run. Because so like yellow, no, because Sarg-hated the run play. God forbid you hand the bottle. It's not like you had a good running bag.

No, but I was like, I want, red was red zone. Right. So I knew that was a pass. Because sometimes calls got too long. Green was, green was a pass too. But then the shots, blue were like the shots. Like, hey, let's go take a shot downfield. But yellow was like teeth, like yellow teeth.

Green. So Sark, anytime you go green, I'm like, yes, let's go. passing. How do you end up with these possessions, Josh? Well, we had spent, you should wear that. Prior to that, we had spent a good solid year, a couple of years. Right. We'll get into like your, how you got to meet, but how do you end up with that stuff? At the time, you have to understand, especially after that, this is after, they'd already won a type. This was the year where we were like considered maybe the greatest ever.

I say we, it was like, you didn't go there. I'm like, wooleruma. But I will say my father was the SID there in the late 50s with. that came up with Al Davis. Like, it's been in my blood forever. And this, that team was my kind of inroad to being behind the Cardinal Curtain, so to speak. One day I'm just with him. It was not long after the game.

And I see them, they're just sitting there, like in the bed of the truck. Like some bum. In the truck just hanging out. Some bum by SC could have easily just, they were just sitting. They were, anybody could have had at them. I'm like, or, um, he's like, fine, I don't care.

So I took them and I'm just like, what? I was really like, yeah. It's a five-figure item. Well, but just also. So it's like that. I would never sell it. But I mean, I'm just saying. I just can't believe the dirt is still in the bottom.

You have the original dirt. I keep shit. I know you do. Hold on. Let's not get it twisted. Let everybody see. Wow. That is natty dirt, y'all.

That's pretty crazy, dude. Yeah, I like how you laid out, like you're saying like Kobe Shack. Like we obviously talk a lot of USC on that show. I really hope people do realize because I was, I got here in 2000. So I was like fresh off the boat here. And I don't know what the proper comparison is. We always had to joke around like Beatles kind of, but the USC effect in that time period.

And you've seen a lot of different, and we're going to get into your history with L.A. and- You were still in Moderet at 2000. Yeah, my... Would you Gatorade player of the year in 2000 or 2001? So right when you got here, he was the number one player in the country at modern day, which is the factory.

Bosco a little bit. Not then, though. Not then. I always say, I always get asked... It was Polly then. Pauli, yeah, Polly moderate. I get asked still to this day, you know like that era in Hollywood USC what was it like this and that right and I've told you you know this

but like Josh was like the bridge but like the epicenter to my world and everything in a positive way it was like when I got introduced to USC Alex Holmes who we're going to talk about because he's he's really a guy that he really connected a lot of us to Josh's world and to L.A and just to the culture He was the Malcolm Gladwell connector. So it's like, I always say like it was like Josh is, especially looking back as you can always just look back to the era, which is crazy. Like the shit that it was just, it was awesome. Like what a time to be around.

Josh was truly like the, well, call him the godfather. But like honestly, like he was a friend, a father figure. He was a guy that took care of us. He was a guy that protected us. And we were fucking stupid kids at the time. I mean, they were stupid. We were dumb as shit. They were stupid.

stupid, but like, we didn't know any better. And by the way, I say this all the time. I go, we played hard, but we won every, like, it never got in the way of us. We were dominant. Every single way. That was the thing that also bothered me when you went to the NFL. People were like, you know, this stuff's important to him. I'm like, find me a top white kid that isn't doing this. He just happens to be in Los Angeles. That was the problem, man. It was just, yeah. And again, every kid everywhere did it. We just, yeah, it was just L.A. And this is pre-NIL, everyone, to understand it, like, anything they took back then, they were not allowed to take. And Matt could have taken a lot and didn't.

Like, you were, in a way, almost NIL before real NIL. And not because you gave us stuff, but it was like, but our- It was the thing you could do that was in the gray area. Recruiting pitch to USC is like, you know, you're going to go to USC and win, but you're also going to have this part of the world. I was like, and I was thinking about Josh was, and you took a lot of shit from USC over the years, all the stuff that went down, like just all sorts of things. Nobody got in trouble, nothing went down. I know.

It's like they want it when they want it, then when they don't want it. They want to, you know, act like you're the play. Yeah.