Matt Leinart

Reggie Bush: Matt's got the world in his hands.

Matt: I used to get made fun of for being cross-eyed. It's just a terrible thing because kids are so cruel to the fat kid, to the kid with the glasses. So I turned to sports.

Matt: (describing himself) I'm laid back. But I expect perfection. I'm very hard on myself... On the field, I have a cool confidence. I've never been arrogant. I could care less about awards. I just want to win... I don't like being in the spotlight. I just like playing. Obviously, you're going to be the hero or goat when you're the quarterback. But I'm kind of a more roll-with-things type of person... As a person, I'm pretty boring. I play video games. That's my favorite hobby.

Matt: I'm not the most physically gifted kid. I'm not going to scare anybody with my arm or with my running ability. But I feel like my mind sets me apart. And my accuracy.

Matt: (on fame) It's crazy. I get linked with people because they're celebrities I've hung out with. It's kind of sad that I can't go hang out with them without getting my name in the paper. I just want to hang out. I don't want to be in all the magazines. That's not who I am... When I go out, it's all over the TV. That's the thing about the celebrity life. You never know who's watching you. You just have to be really secure about what you're doing...I'm a normal guy, just like any other 21-year-old college student. Really, there's nothing special about me... It's hard to trust a lot of people right now and know exactly what they're after.

Matt: (On the USC football team) Sometimes I look around this locker room and see the guys we have and think, 'Man, does anyone really know how good we have it?'

Matt: I've seen it get even bigger, especially being in L.A., being as successful as we (USC) have when a lot of other sports teams aren't. The Lakers were, but there's no other big-time team right now.

Matt: I didn't want to celebrate until the clock hit zero, ... because who knows what can happen in three seconds. It was just a great game, and I'm still really speechless. I would imagine this will go down as one of the greatest games ever played.

Matt: People treat you different. There's a lot more demands. I get a lot of attention everywhere I go, other than that, it's been a great ride. I'm able to handle the pressure and expectations. I've never gotten a big head. It's a blessing what I've accomplished, but I'm still the same person.

Matt: I wasn't ready to give up being a kid, it was the hardest decision I ever made, but I wanted to stay in school.

Matt: I have team goals. I'm focused on leading this team (USC) to whatever it can accomplish. If I don't win it, I can't be upset.

Matt: I don't consider myself a celebrity, by no means. But I know a lot of people do, a lot of people kind of look at me like that. So when I do go out, it's like, OK, there's the USC guy.

Matt: Everyone thinks we're going to beat everybody by so many points, ... That's not how college football works.