USC Legend Carson Palmer Receives Distinguished Award For High School Coaching Job

Carson Palmer returned to Santa Margarita (Calif.), his alma mater, in December 2024 to become the school’s next coach.

And in his first season at the helm, the former USC Trojans Heisman Trophy winning quarterback turned the program around. In 2024, the Eagles went 5-7, but under Palmer, they improved to 11-3 and won the school’s first state championship since 2011. Palmer’s transformation earned him MaxPreps Coach of the Years honors.

USC Trojans Carson Palmer Heisman Trophy Recruiting Trent Mosley CIF Santa Margarita MaxPreps Simote Katoanga Jayden Crowder — Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer prepares to address the crowd during his Ring of Honor induction ceremony during halftime against the Seattle Seahawks September 29, 2019. Seahawks Vs Cardinals | Michael Chow/The Republic, Arizona Republic via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Prior to joining USC in the late 90s, Palmer led Santa Margarita to back-to-back CIF Championships, and this season he ushered in a new era.

Santa Margarita proved to be one of the premier teams in the Trinity League when they edged Mater Dei 7-6 on Oct. 6. USC receiver signee Trent Mosley scored the game-winner late in the fourth quarter and gave the Eagles their first win over the Monarchs since 2013.

Palmer then led his team on a dominant playoff run. It started with a victory over then-undefeated Sierra Canyon 21-9 in the quarterfinals. Santa Margarita became the only team all season to score more than 14 points against Sierra Canyon’s daunting defense.

The following week, behind Mosley’s two touchdown performance, they routed Trinity League foe Orange Lutheran 31-6 in the semifinals to set up a rematch with Corona Centennial in the CIF Southern Section Final, who they defeated 33-27 in overtime back in week 2.

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Mosley delivered a performance for the ages, when he caught 10 passes for 299 yards and scored four total touchdowns in a 42-7 annihilation. The four-star receiver carried that momentum into the State Championship, reeling in 11 receptions for 183 yards and three total touchdowns.

Once again, Palmer led another dominant outing with a 47-13 win over Northern California powerhouse De La Salle. In addition to Palmer winning Coach of the Year honors, Mosley was named the MaxPreps California Player of the Year and earned MaxPreps First Team All-American recognition.

Mosley was a great player before Palmer arrived, but under the tutelage of Palmer and his once Bengals teammate and 11-year veteran receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the future Trojan elevated his game to another level in 2025.

What the future holds for Palmer in his coaching career is uncertain. He clearly has a knack for having his team well prepared on the big stage. With his college and NFL pedigree, if Palmer wanted to continue climbing the ranks, he definitely could fairly quickly.

Santa Margarita to USC Pipeline

In addition to Mosley, the Trojans also signed four-star edge Simote Katoanga and three-star cornerback Jayden Crowder in the 2026 cycle.

Katoanga committed last February and was active in his pursuit of other local recruits. Mosley announced his pledge the next month.

Crowder picked up an offer from USC when he was attendance to watch the Trojans defeat Michigan on Oct. 11. He would later flip his commitment from Cal to USC later that month.

With Southern Cal getting back to keeping local prospects in-state, could we see Santa Margarita become a recruiting pipeline for the Trojans under Palmer.

Santa Margarita to USC Pipeline

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