Why new Santa Margarita football coach Carson Palmer returned to his alma mater
Sam Farmer (LA Times) — Carson Palmer is coming home, and he’s bringing a team of elite football minds with him.
Last week, Palmer was named the new Santa Margarita High varsity football coach, a job that for years he never envisioned. The former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick out of USC didn’t see himself returning to the game as a coach at his alma mater, but he was drawn in by the opportunity to guide his kids.
Just as he was as a Pro Bowl quarterback, Palmer is a stickler for preparation and details, and all this is new territory for him. So he has leaned on many of his former college and NFL coaches, as well as fellow quarterbacks, to begin assembling his course of action.
“I’ve got a PhD in football,” said Palmer, 44, who retired in early 2018 after 15 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. “You do anything for 10,000 hours and you become an expert, and I’ve got tens of thousands of hours, seven different offenses, seen every defense, played for great coordinators and learned from them. That’s what I bring, the knowledge of the game.”
He’s quick to point out these aren’t original thoughts. He’s drawing from what he learned from coaches such as Pete Carroll, Marvin Lewis, Norm Chow, Bruce Arians, Mike Zimmer, Paul Hackett and dozens of others to formulate his philosophies.
“I was in offensive meetings my senior year at SC with Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin,” he said, referring to the current head coaches at Texas and Ole Miss, respectively. “We would draw up plays and talk about stuff that wasn’t even in the game plan, and we were playing in two days. I was just learning football.”
Palmer is joining the Trinity League, which includes football powerhouses such as Mater Dei and St. John Bosco, easily among the most competitive high school leagues in the country. Finding players who fit the athletic and academic profile won’t be a simple task amid the lofty expectations.
Carson Palmer won the Heisman Trophy as USC’s quarterback in 2002. (Mark Lennihan / AP)
“It might not be all smooth and just silky right off the bat,” Carroll said. “But Carson’s going to get it. He’s going to be a stud about it. I’m really excited for him.”
It’s one thing, of course, to have a mile-deep understanding of the game, but that doesn’t address the challenge of passing that on to high school players, who have limited time and experience to comprehend it.
“Offensively, I want to run a system that’s a little bit of everything,” he said in a wide-ranging interview with The Times. “I want to run the stuff I really liked running at the NFL level. It can be watered down, but these kids are sponges, man.”
Palmer (below quarterbacking Santa Margarita vs Newport Harbor in the late 1990s) spent the past season working with the Santa Margarita freshman team, which includes his son, Fletcher, a quarterback.
“When my son was in fifth, sixth grade, we were carrying three or four protections in the game plans. Because kids could learn it. If they can’t, you back off and take a little back, and you find out what the kids can absorb and learn, and what they can still play fast with.”
As a varsity coach, Palmer does not intend on having a basic high school playbook.
“We’re going to run an NFL offense, no doubt,” he said. “The quarterback’s going to be under center. Our play-action game is going to be an extension of the run game. We’re going to attack people downfield. We’re not going to try to put together 13-play, 85-yard drives. We’re going to be aggressive.”
The way Palmer sees it, his best coaches were teachers.
“There’s a million coaches,” he said. “The best ones are the good teachers. You’ve got to be able to deliver information in a way that it can be received by a kid who’s a visual learner, to a reactionary learner, to a guy that learns from doing things wrong, from doing things right.
“I wasn’t a flash card guy. I needed to go out on the field and screw it up, and then watch myself do it wrong on film. Then, boom, I had it and I never did it wrong again. Everybody’s different.”
There was a time when Palmer couldn’t get away from football soon enough.
In the immediate aftermath of retirement, he and his wife, Shaelyn, moved their four children to Ketchum, Idaho, a picturesque resort town of 2,800 people where being a fan of the three major sports means you like to hunt, fish and ski.
Mr. Throw’em became Mr. Ketchum.
“We wanted to raise our kids not in the middle of the rat race and in the mecca of sports and private coaches and club this and all-stars that,” said Palmer, who turned down network offers to be an NFL booth analyst. “We were about camping and fishing and being outside. They all ski raced, real Super-G, 50 mph downhill stuff.”
Life wasn’t all about football.
“I played football, but who I am is a man of God, a father, a husband, a mentor,” he said. “I played football, but that’s not what I hang my hat on as a human.”
But the couple couldn’t hide from their DNA. Shaelyn was a scholarship soccer player. The 6-foot-5 Carson had a golden arm now relegated to hurling snowballs.
Carson Palmer gets hammered with a snowball as he tries to take a portrait with his children, from left, Carter, Bries, Elle and Fletch in Ketchum, Idaho, in December 2019. (Marcus Yam / LAT)
“We’ve got twins, and we moved [back to Southern California] because of them,” he said of their eldest children, Fletcher and Elle, who dreams of playing in the WNBA.
“They were about to start high school, and I just saw enough signs where I was, ‘All right, they both have the drive. Who knows if they have the athletic ability, but they have that drive and that desire to compete and get better.’ So we decided to make the move and let them chase their dreams.”
The family considered moving back to San Diego but instead chose Orange County, which was comforting, familiar and ….
“Kind of weird,” Palmer said. “I never would have thought my kids would go to the same high school I did. It’s been 26 years, and so much has happened. It’s odd to find yourself right back where you started.”
And high school football is so different now. Palmer is only starting to come to grips with that.
“Now you can recruit,” he said. “As soon as there’s staff turnover, this freshman class is being recruited.
“Back in the day, if you transferred, you missed an entire year. Now, there’s ways that if you transfer, you can play next week. That’s a big change.
“The grass is not always greener on the other side. I was taught at a young age that when it is greener on the other side, it’s just because there’s more manure over there.”
The job’s not just about drawing up an airtight strategy for plays to call on the field.
“Nowadays, the culture is so different,” said Chow, Palmer’s offensive coordinator at USC. “I don’t know how people coach these days. In the NFL it’s fine because you’re a pro, but with the recruiting and everything [at lower levels] is just so different.
“I just told Carson something I learned a long time ago, which is culture before scheme. Develop that culture and you’re OK.”
Palmer is currently in the process of assembling a staff that not only can coach the players but guide him. He does not plan to lean extensively on his younger brother, Jordan, among the most respected quarterback tutors in the business. Jordan is too busy with his business and raising a young family.
“I want to hire people who can tell me yes and no, what’s doable and what’s not, what’s impossible,” Carson Palmer said. “I’ll find those right people.
“Because numbers have been down in the program, we haven’t been able to do that. So we’ve got to find new players. We’ve got to infuse the program with bodies so we can run three programs — freshman, JV and varsity — and build the system out. So when you come in as a freshman, it’s all the same terminology and verbiage. By the time you get to the varsity program you’ve been running it and repping it.”
At times, Palmer feels like the dog who finally catches the bus. He’s got the job, and now the real work begins.
He has checked in with former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, now running a successful high school program in Alabama, and former Bengals teammate Jon Kitna, a winning high school coach in Ohio.
“There’s so much of it that’s so hard if you haven’t been doing it,” Palmer said. “But Kitna is like, `I’ve got all the templates, all the practice plans.’ All the things that would be really hard for me to come up with, he’s got the cheat sheets on. And he’s willing to share them.”
Palmer has gone back to Carroll, too, with whom he had so much success at USC.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll talks with Oakland Raiders QB Carson Palmer before a preseason game in 2012. Carroll coached Palmer to a Heisman Trophy at USC. (Kevin P. Casey / AP)
2019 LSU national championship and Heisman QB Joe Burrow on Ed Orgeron
“We embodied his personality as a team. He was such a great leader for us, and exactly what we needed. He brought that toughness. He brought that energy. He got us going. I love that energy he brought to us. Just you and your guys against the world. I love that. “
Oregon signs the Bear. If Lanning can turn the Bear into a player what an indictment that would be of USC’s coaches and Lincoln Riley. I am looking forward to seeing what Lanning can do with him.
We will all be watching with interest, particularly when USC plays Oregon.
I’d bet his NIL is all about performance incentives with very little up front cash. If he does his normal act Lanning and several leadership players will probably kick him into Crater Lake by April or earlier.
If D Lynn and Eric Henderson couldn’t turn him around who can? That is a head scratcher.
He’s been with 8 teams in the last 7 years. Let’s see if he makes it through 2025 as a Oregon Duck.
Texas A&M will be without three key players vs USC in Las Vegas Matt Galatzan (SI.com) — The Texas A&M Aggies are going to be undermanned when they head to the Las Vegas Bowl to take on the USC Trojans. According to Aggies head coach Mike Elko during a press conference, the team’s top three defensive linemen – Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart, and Shemar Turner – have all chosen to opt out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. It had previously been reported that Scourton would not play vs. the Trojans, but the news of Turner and Stewart opting out should come… Read more »
TAM has 20 transfers out and SC has 19. Add the NFL opt outs, Who still has a team?
It’s the ever-resilient Las Vegas Bowl, where parts are interchangeable. I’d say USC was very lucky to land here. These are the names it has gone by since 1992: SRS Distribution LV Bowl Mitsubishi LV Bowl Royal Purple LV Bowl MAACO LV Bowl Pioneer LV Bowl Pioneer Purevision LV Bowl Sega Sports LV Bowl EA Sports LV Bowl Reno Air LV Bowl Friday, Dec. 27, 7:30 pm, ESPN. Can’t miss football. Fight On Trojans! ✌ lvbowl.com — Of the 42 bowl games recognized by the NCAA, the Las Vegas Bowl is now the 16th-oldest game overall and ranks No. 13… Read more »
Yes, why is this game even being played? I understand that good seats are $600!
It seems like most players are second or third string.
Ah, yes, college football today!
Well…..it’s going to be cold tonight in South Bend……27 at kickoff and 25 by the time it ends. Not sure how they handled the snow they received this morning. About an inch or two came down.
Penn St on Saturday is also reporting 27 at kickoff.
Although no big time wind it will be breezy at both sites…….9 to 10 mph.
Not quite the frozen tundra at Green Bay back in the day but ……loads of fun……sarcasm.
As for the folks attending…….enjoy!…..and they paid 400 plus for nose bleed. My 65 inch sounds really good.
Go Hoosiers! I wish I thought Curt “Google Me” Cignetti could and would actually pull this one off, but South Bend is so hard to win at. Maybe if the Hoosiers somehow get out early and take a lead, they can hold on in a shortened game where coming from behind should be a big disadvantage in a run-dominated game. But I enjoy watching weather-challenged games that require teams to adjust to the elements. It somewhat equals the playing field, but the on-a-roll Irish have an awful lot to lose at home here and probably won’t let the Hoosiers up… Read more »
Just wonder if Riley were coaching one of the teams if he would try passing the ball 70 percent of the time.
As for tonight……I hear you. If Indiana gets a fumble or two who knows. There will be plenty of Indiana fans at the game. Indy is excited about it.
It’s a lot to ask for ND to lose in these conditions in South Bend. People railed against their soft schedule all year long. But they are a well-balanced, well-coached team that has some serious weapons, and their QB, Riley Leonard, is very tricky and underrated. He reminds me a little of Joe Theisman.
Marcus Freeman has improved a lot since he first took over the Irish after red-faced Brian Kelly bolted. I don’t enjoy saying it looks like Freeman has grown into the job, so I hope he stumbles big time tonight.
Leonard as Theisman…..I can see that.
According to what Ryan Kartje of the LA Times said, SC has some kind of a salary cap. They can’t just hand out large sums of money to anyone. Doe Oregon, Ohio State, Auburn and some of those other schools have salary caps? I don’t know. If Zach Branch was asking for a lot of money, I can see why they wouldn’t want to pay it.He’s had 2 years to prove himself and he’s had mediocre success….certainly not the success to demand huge contracts and his brother has been has been hurt most of the time. Duece Robinson may want… Read more »
Quinten Joyner’s going to little ole TEX TECH with three years of eligibility.
Sounds to me like he just didn’t like playing at USC anymore, at least not enough to stick around.
Maybe he would have remained a Trojan, but LR didn’t think Joyner, who visited the Red Raiders as a prep, was valuable enough. You know how those executive decisions go.
I always liked Joyner a lot. Sad to see him go. Wish we would have met whatever demand he made. But USC likes to churn RBs. That’s LR’s MO, and he’s been successful with it.
At this point, it doesn’t feel like Linkin’ has been successful at anything here, certainly in the last two seasons.
My point is that Travis Dye, MarShawn Lloyd and Woody Marks have all been very successful as USC lead backs from the portal.
Yes, point taken. But, for every positive for Riley seems to expose two or three or four negatives.
Now we get to see if Eli Sanders is as good as Dye, Lloyd, Marks and Joyner. Sanders will probably be just fine.
But I don’t trust LR to manage the program personnel moves any more because USC loses so much and is churning players constantly.
Winning cures everything of course. Unfortunately, LR doesn’t win at SC, and that’s why USC no longer has any swag as an elite program.
They were above average, but certainly not a Bush, Allen, or any of the Trojan greats.
With USC’s subpar-to average-at-best O-lines during the last several years, as well as the overall strength of our teams, I sincerely doubt some of our past “great” RBs would have ever even come close to winning Heisman Trophies. No way.
Yes, also an effective scheme to promote the running game. It’s hard for to see Marcus and Reggie not succeeding…
Maybe he was just homesick. He’ll certainly get a lot of carries at TTU.
Maybe LR just should have met Joyner’s demands and convinced him to stay. Maybe LR just isn’t any good at that and Joyner didn’t want to play for him anymore. Either answer is bad. SI — It’s a big loss to the USC running back room. As a redshirt freshman, Quentin Joyner ran 63 times for 478 yards, good enough for 7.6 yards per carry. He tacked on three touchdowns in a backup role to Woody Marks. With the loss of both Marks and Joyner, USC will have lost 1,611 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns worth of production. 247Sports has… Read more »
Actually, it sounds like he was homesick because OSU wanted him and I’m sure they would have paid a lot of money to get him yet he went to TTU. That’s the problem you face when you neglect your backyard and go all over the country to recruit. LR has connections in Texas because he came from Oklahoma and that’s where they get their players. But he doesn’t seem to have established a base right here in California. They say LR has a photographic mind. But he is a slow learner. It took him forever to learn that he needed… Read more »
I couldn’t care less if LR has a “photographic mind.” I knew a guy like that in law school. He flunked out. It’s like having an engine without a transmission.
I don’t believe LR is a very strong recruiter. I’ve been around a few of those types, and they run circles around LR. JMHO. I wish I felt differently, that’s for sure.
Well, I’m still pulling for him to succeed but he does make it difficult to believe in his chances for success. It’s just hard to understand how schools like Boise State continually hire one great coach after another and a school with SC’s football tradition continues to hire one bust after another.
That is the question.
Whoa on that one. The competition in the Mtn West and B1G is an order of magnitude different. Even Peterson, who had quite a record at BSU, only did OK at Washington.
He took them to the playoffs in his 3rd year when it was a 4 team playoff. That’s more than SC has ever done.
I’m not impressed with his ability to manage teh clock. Further, his offensive scheme seems to have stalled as opponents have learned how to defend against it.
I have never seen such a gap betwenn his salary and his performance!
A photographic memory only enables one to have access to mental knowledge and facts. It does not enable one to synthesize that knowledge into meaningful and productive action.
If I was in charge of HOV I would tell LR, get your F***ing act together or you get nothing. Hire a real OC and turn the offense over. Why pay large sums for players if the HC can’t manage?
My guess is that Branch will excel at Georgia. As will Duece, wherever he goes. Maybe these guys got greedy, or maybe they didn’t like the scheme or coaching. I don’t know.
Robinson caught 23 passes in 2024 in 12 games. That’s less than 2 passes a game. That doesn’t make him a great player. If Branch didn’t excell at SC he won’t excell at Georgia. You don’t want Branch in their on those wide screens because those plays have to be blocked well and he doesn’t block.They have 5 receivers coming in out of high school(3 are 4 stars).Michael Jackson III was a 4 star coming out of high school. He caught 1 pass last year for 10 yards at Georgia. I could be wrong. Let’s wait and see. I wasn’t… Read more »
Well, with a better QB and OLine, perhaps Duce will have an opportunity for leading college football. He is an outanding muli sport talent with size! And Branch will be used diferently, and more effectively at GA. He has incredible strengths and will likewise excell out of an LR program.
But, we shall see. It will be fun to see who callled this one!
My take on Branch is those additional 10+ pounds of muscle slowed him down a bit. He just didn’t look as fast to me. He was run down several times by DBs this year that he was smoking last year.
Clay Helton’s QB has already thrown three first-half picks and The Cat is losing to SAM HOUSTON 21-10 at the half. If Helton’s Eagles go down, his 2024 record drops to 8-5.
8-5 is pretty much who he is.
Atlanta DDS, is GS happy with The Cat? 3rd best in the Sun Belt, losing bowl game.
They still think they got the pretty girl at the dance if GSU is the ugly farm boy, Unfortunately, I haven’t been crowing much lately about Uncle Huggs, since Riley arguably has been a worse coach at SC than Helton ever was….
Lincoln Riley, The Visionary
Riley — ““Right now, you wake up every day, and you never know what’s coming. I don’t get too high or too low when good news comes across my desk or tough news comes across my desk. I think it’s my job to stay steady and stay committed to the vision. I’ve learned to not really carry any emotion with it. “
What, me worry? I make ten million per year!
Just read this, opens the door to a lot of athletes:
On Wednesday, a Tennessee judge granted Diego Pavia’s request for a temporary injunction against the NCAA and its rules related to seasons of eligibility. The court, at least temporarily, has agreed with the quarterback — junior college, which is not an NCAA institution, should not count against a player’s NCAA eligibility.
D’Anton Lynn on what USC’s D is looking for in the portal — size and versatility Erik McKinney (on3.com) — “The primary focus is still up front…I would say size is the No. 1 priority, but also versatility. Giving us the flexibility to do everything we want upfront. Are we going to find the perfect guy? Hopefully. But I would say size is the No. 1 priority.” Lynn said all pitches to transfer portal targets include a back-and-forth with the player letting them know the schematic plans of the defense and how they would fit, how it would prepare them… Read more »
USC Signee Matai Tagoa’i to Accept Part of NIL Contract Earnings in Bitcoin Incoming USC LB Matai Tagoa’i announced Thursday that he will take part of his NIL package in Bitcoin. Timothy Rapp (B/R) — “This is a game-changer for me,” he said in a statement (h/t Pete Nakos of On3). “By taking part of my NIL earnings in Bitcoin, I’m setting myself up for long-term financial growth. I’m grateful to Strike, House of Victory and 3Point0 Labs for helping me take this step. I’m proud to be part of this innovative collaboration that’s redefining the future of college athletics and finance… Read more »
I bought a little Bitcoin ETF earlier this year. The dang thing is up 71%. Smart move for the kid. Good to see there is a lot going on with USC NIL. Now if we only had a decent OC.
Are you going to donate to the House of Victory?
Silver Hopes To Bring Some Shine to USC Dan Morrison (on3.com) — Portal transfer DL Keyshawn Silver has one season of eligibility remaining after redshirting with one of his seasons at North Carolina USC is coming off a frustrating season where the Trojans went 6-6 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play. It was their first season in the Big Ten and their third under Lincoln Riley, who is now 25-14 with the Trojans. A major concern during that tenure has been the defense and he turned to D’Anton Lynn to try and improve that side of the ball. In 2024, the Trojans… Read more »
They are 55th in scoring defense but if you figure in that 5 or 6 of those TD’s were pick six’s which the defenses had nothing to do with, they would be higher.Let’s hope Silver doesn’t yell “high O Silver” and transfer back to another SEC team after spring practice like that other guy.
Now this is fantastic news for USC. Ramsey is such a heady, experienced, and talented USC defender who is also an exceptional, clutch tackler. I’m very glad USC met his demands.
Keyshawn Silver commits to USC. Kamari Ramsey decides to come back!! Riley did something right.
Wow, I thought USC couldn’t afford portal players like Keyshawn Silver, now on his 3rd school after stints at UNC and UK. Obviously, USC has the NIL money when they want to spend it.
At least enough for some really huge defensive linemen which I think they said was their big priority. Great catch for the defense.
Everyone on the planet knows USC needs huge help on the DL — especially USC’s opponents on the field. As I said, USC can well afford to keep (Ramsey) or get (Silver) when they want to. That’s been clearly proven over and over.
It is clear they wanted to.
LR was going after Brandon Jones(O-Line coach from Missouri) to replace Josh Henson. He’s had pretty good success in his career(not great). Maybe coaches are starting to look at LR like they looked at CH(on the hot seat) because he didn’t go after a great O-Line coach. You never know, Zach Hanson might turn out to be a great coach.
One can only hope, which is all that we have to hang our hat upon, currently.
I have no doubt that Carson Palmer will do well in this next chapter of his life. He was the first USC Quarterback to win the Heisman and will always be one of my favorite SC players. He’s a class act and best wishes to him as a HS Coach!
Carson Palmer is a class act, like many of the stars of the past. Sc has quite a football heritage, from many aspects. Not so much today. It’s difficult to see Reggie go back to coach his HS team, not to mention Caleb. And others.
Some great news for USC! USC OL Emmanuel Pregnon to return for 2025 Emmanuel Pregnon, USC’s starting left guard, will play in the Las Vegas Bowl against Texas A&M…and plans to return for the 2025 season. Connor Morrissette (USCFootball.com) — Pregnon participated in USC’s practice after not being spotted last week. Pregnon will man USC’s left guard position in Las Vegas, the position he started all 12 games at during the regular season. Pregnon has been USC’s best offensive linemen this season. He played 808 offensive snaps across 12 games and allowed zero sacks. Pregnon allowed 14 total QB… Read more »
That is very good news! There may be hope.
What its all about. Giving back. The lives he touches will be worth it. If he can help young guys become men and learn how to win and lose he will be a success. Then he can move on to college.
Carson Palmer is a classy guy! Fight On, Santa Margarita HS!
Palmer truly is an amazing guy. I watched him beat my alma mater, Newport Harbor, in person, as well as Deshaun Foster who played for powerful Tustin. Watching Palmer and Foster perform against each other on the field was quite a privilege. Palmer, Foster, Groots and Junior Seau were the best players I ever saw in person, followed by Willie McGinest. USC used to always sign the best players in Calif, and it wasn’t even close. I hope LR finally starts recruiting the very best of the Calif preps again because we can’t afford to continue to lose these guys… Read more »