California Football Coach Receives 200k Salary to Takeover Longtime Losing Program

Yorba Linda coach Jeff Bailey, who played at UCLA, will takeover at Beverly Hills which hasn't had a winning season since 2010.

Yorba Linda coach Jeff Bailey is leaving to take over the football program at Beverly Hills High. / Terry Jack

On its face, the move is a head scratcher. But when you see what the gig pays, it makes all the sense in the world.

Longtime Yorba Linda High football coach Jeff Bailey was appointed the new football coach at Beverly Hills High this week, which makes no sense when looking at it through a football-only lens. But when Bailey's salary and job responsibilities were available for public consumption via the Beverly Hills School District website, it's easy to see why Bailey made the move.

According to the documentation presented at a Beverly Hills School District board meeting on Feb. 24, Bailey will earn a salary of $205,656 starting July 1, 2026.

In the document, Bailey is listed as a 'Class 1, Step 6' employee. His official title is 'District/Assistant Director of Strength Conditioning Coach'. When looking at the annual rate for a 'Class 1, Step 6' employee, the salary is listed (in the graphic below).

Jeff Bailey's Beverly Hills salary provided by school district's public information access. / BHUSD

Bailey, 56, cited the move as a "family decision" with financial benefits for his retirement, according to a report from the Orange County Register.

After more than 30 years coaching high school football, including stops at Esperanza, El Dorado and Yorba Linda (since 2009), Bailey's salary is well deserved. Frankly, it's a salary he'd garner at minimum if he coached in the Trinity League or any other major private school.

But it's the move to Beverly Hills High — which has no history of winning football — that makes the move odd.

Beverly Hills hasn't had a winning season since 2010. It's had five winless seasons in that span and three one-win seasons. The Normans went 0-9 this past fall. There's a lot of work to be done.

“It’s now a new challenge and I’m going to go 100 percent into it,” he told the Register. “I take pride in anything I’m doing and I’m not ever going to be lazy."

THE SUPERINTENDENT CONNECTION

It's not hard to figure out the connection. Beverly Hills Unified School District superintendent is Dr. Alex Cherniss. His last post: superintendent of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.

“Coach Bailey’s track record speaks for itself,” Cherniss told the Beverly Hills Standard. “He builds cultures rooted in discipline, preparation and integrity, and his leadership will elevate our football program and support every athletic team on our campus.”

Cherniss was announced the BHUSD Supt. on April 10 of 2025. Within a year of sitting in his chair, he brings in Bailey.

It's obvious Cherniss likes athletics. During his time Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District he launched a program called the 'Universal Sports Institute', a unique program designed for homeschool students and elite athletes, combining high-level athletic training with flexible online learning. Both programs expanded student opportunities and generated new revenue for the district, according to the BHUSD press release.

Could Cherniss launch a similar program in Beverly Hills that would allow Bailey to ramp things up on the football field?

BAILEY'S FOOTBALL PEDIGREE

Bailey is a well-known local product that played offensive lineman at UCLA. He's without question one of the most well-respected high school football coaches in Southern California. He's racked up 179 career wins as a head coach, which have translated into 18 playoff appearances, 11 league titles and four CIF championhships.

"Winning is never the starting point," Bailey says in an announcement video posted on Twitter/X. "It starts with discipline. Because winning isn't something you hope for, it's something you prepare for. When discipline becomes a habit, winning becomes your standard."

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