Heisman Winner Carson Palmer Named National Prep Coach Of The Year

Carson Palmer, the 2002 Heisman winner from USC and one of the NFL’s career passing leaders, was named the MaxPreps National Coach of the Year this week after leading his prep alma mater, Santa Margarita, to a 2025 California state title in his debut season as head coach.

He is the first recipient of the MaxPreps award to win it in his first season as a coach.

Palmer became the head coach of the Eagles in December of 2024, inheriting a squad that finished 5-7. But under Palmer’s tutelage, Santa Margarita finished 11-3 this past season and won the CIF Open Division state title, the Eagles’ first since 2011, with a 47-13 win in the state championship game over powerhouse De La Salle.

Palmer’s squad, which faced the toughest schedule in the country, also finished No. 4 nationally in MaxPreps national rankings.

That included three postseason wins to win the Southern Section Division I title, the finale played in the Rose Bowl. While Palmer did not get to play in the Granddaddy Of Them All in college (he did get to play in the Orange Bowl after winning the Heisman), he led the Eagles to a 42-7 title-game win there ahead of their state title triumph.

As a player, Palmer led Santa Margarita to back-to-back section titles in 1997 and 1998.