Carson Palmer named new head football coach at Santa Margarita Catholic

Former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer was named the new head football coach at Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, California), according to Eric Sondheimer. The news was first reported by LA Times’ Sam Farmer. It’s the same school that Palmer played for when he played high school football.

Palmer will also get the chance to coach his son, Fletch Palmer, a quarterback that is currently a freshman in the program. He was a volunteer coach for the freshman team last season when his son was playing quarterback. Santa Margarita finished 5-7 overall this year, after Anthony Rouzier was put on administrative leave in early October following an incident in the locker room. Defensive coordinator Steve Fifita served as the interim coach.

Carson Palmer starred at Santa Margarita, where he led the Eagles to back-to-back CIF tiles and earned All-American, All-State, All-Southern Section, and All-CIF State honors before graduating in 1998. He threw for 2,685 passing yards and 31 touchdowns while leading his team to their second-straight state crown.

When he shined at USC, Palmer became one of the most decorated players in college football history during his time with the Trojans. Under the tutelage of Norm Chow, Palmer became an elite player, throwing for 3,639 passing yards and 32 touchdowns, guiding USC to a 10-2 overall record and a trip to the Orange Bowl. He managed to throw 19 touchdown passes in his final six games of the season–propelling him to win the Heisman Trophy over Larry Johnson and Willis McGahee. He was also named MVP in the Trojans’ bowl victory over Iowa, lifting his team to a No. 4 overall ranking, their highest finish in the polls since 1979.

Carson Palmer shattered the Pac-10 career passing and total offense marks, along with several USC career records during his time there. He was selected as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played for several years before having a few productive years with Oakland and Arizona.