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How Carson Palmer rebuilt a young Santa Margarita team with NFL philosophies
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- How Carson Palmer rebuilt a young Santa Margarita team with NFL philosophies
Nine months ago, Santa Margarita won the California state championship after battling through the toughest division in the country. A group of experienced, high-level seniors paved the way, including nine defensive starters, quarterback Trace Johnson and star wide receiver Trent Mosley, who had six touchdowns and nearly 400 yards in the CIF-SS and California state championship games.
That group has graduated. The 2026 roster is young, relying on underclassmen just as much as juniors and seniors. Even the head coach, Carson Palmer , is relatively inexperienced at his role, now three games into his second year at the helm. Yet Santa Margarita, ranked No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Super 25 rankings , is just as good as last year.
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Through those five games, the team has held onto its spot atop California, outscoring opponents 178-27 and winning the rematch of last year's California Interscholastic Federation — Southern Section championship against Centennial (Corona, CA) in Week 2.
What's the identity of this Eagles program that has allowed it to maintain its success and not take a step back after so many key graduations?
"My mindset is, I know what they do at the NFL level. If they're doing it at that level, we should be doing it here," Palmer, the longtime NFL quarterback who played for the Cincinnati Bengals , Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals , told USA TODAY Sports.
At the core of the on-field play is the defense, which has only allowed 27 points across five games and posted back-to-back shutouts. The defensive style has remained unchanged under Steve Fifita despite the new-look roster.
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"A combination of really good players that have absolutely bought into a great, great defensive coordinator and a great defensive staff," Palmer said. "We coach them tough, we coach them hard, and we throw our arm around them and love them up to make the players feel confidence, but also so they understand how important each day is, each rep is, whether it's in the weight room, in the classroom, on the practice field."
Santa Margarita defense coordinator Steve Fifita (center) scans the field during a game in 2026.
Palmer's return to the high school ranks
Palmer is back at his alma mater, a program where he won two championships and set 27 school records before playing at USC and becoming the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. It's a familiar environment, from football to leadership, as he remembers now-school president Andy Sulick, now-vice president of athletics Jim Hartigan and now-vice president Sergio Muniz being involved in different capacities in the school and football program when he attended as part of the class of 1998.
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"This is a really special institution," he said. "I think it's the best school there is."
He entered 2025 with a model based on collegiate and NFL stylings, emphasizing strength training and nutrition led by former Division I director Geno Del Rosario, practicing with pads frequently and mirroring class and film study to a college football experience. They devote periods of each practice to basic fundamentals and technique with an eye on small details — "if you're doing it at the NFL level, you should be doing it in high school," Palmer said.
"The way we practice, the way we meet, the way we really do everything is modeled after an NFL or college program, so as players do come through and graduate and go on and have an opportunity to play at the next level, nothing surprises them. The expectations don't change much from here to college," he said.
These basics helped last year's experienced team turn into a title winner coming off a 5-7 season, with Palmer being named USA TODAY Sports' ALL-USA Coach of the Year , and it's been equally important for the young squad this year. The freshman class, headlined by players like LB Aydan Steen, DL KJ Herndon, S Jayden Jack and WR Kiyan Callis, was highly touted entering high school, but their emergence has nevertheless been remarkable.
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"(It's) a really hyped up group that has really come in and worked their tail off," Palmer said. "Our freshman group is really talented, but they're really humble for being such great players."
He credited Fifita for setting high expectations and managing healthy confidence through individual plays and game-by-game. To Palmer, Fifita stands out as an equal among the myriad of collegiate and NFL coaches he played for across two decades.
"I really believe it starts with Coach Fifita. He's as good as it comes at this level," Palmer said. "I've been around NFL coaches and college coaches, and he's as good as any of them."
Santa Margarita quarterback Fletch Palmer goes through his progression in a game against Centennial (Corona, CA) on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.
Fletch Palmer at the helm
There's familiarity and there's family at Palmer's alma mater. The coach has three kids who attend the school, including quarterback Fletch Palmer, who won the starting role over Vanderbilt commit Matthew Smith.
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The head coach called it a "very competitive battle," one that went "back and forth," beginning in spring ball, continuing through winter and then into summer training camp.
"He's consistently gotten better and better and better," Palmer said of his son. "He's going to continue to grow and get better each week. He's a student of the game. Loves it, eats it up, loves the physical part of the game, loves the mental part of the game. Excited to see him continue to grow."
Through five games, the 6-foot, 195-pound Fletch Palmer has been largely effective, completing 64 of his 97 passes (66%) for 770 yards with six touchdowns to three interceptions. While he struggled a bit in the defensive battle against Centennial, going 6-for-13 for 52 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions thrown, he has been a proficient starter for a run-based offense bolstered by the emergence of star sophomore running back Adrian Petero.
Petero has broken 100 yards in three games, including a 111-yard performance against Centennial and a four-touchdown game against Inderkum (Sacramento, CA) that earned him USA TODAY Sports' Super 25 Playmaker of the Week honors. He is one of the many underclassmen who have starred for this team, including Callis, the freshman who is the team's leading receiver; Steen, who leads the team with 33 tackles and five sacks to go with 10 tackles for loss; and sophomore Kingston Jimmerson, who has a team-best 12 tackles for loss.
Santa Margarita running back Adrian Petero runs the ball against Norco during a game on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
But juniors and seniors have played important roles too. Junior DB Ca'ron Williams had a vital pick-six against Centennial, the fifth time he has an interception against the California power across four matchups. Kansas tight end commit Luke Gazzaniga is a senior, named to the ALL-USA Preseason West team , and helps open the offense with blocking, receiving and delayed routes.
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"The juniors from last year that watched that [2025] senior class prepare, how to win, how to win close games, and how to be champions, that was a really good opportunity for them to learn from that group, and now this senior class has really set the tone," Palmer said.
The schedule doesn't get easier for Santa Margarita, which still has to face off against Trinity League powers like Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA), St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) and Orange Lutheran (CA) in the regular season. Palmer has seen the early-season success, but said his team needs to continue building on each side of the ball.
"We work on it all the time because you're never finished or completely developed product, especially at this age."
Editor's note: The spelling of Aydan Steen and Jim Hartigan have been updated.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Carson Palmer rebuilt a young Santa Margarita team with NFL philosophies
