INTERVIEW: Carson Palmer Providing Déjà Vu At Alma Mater With Son As Quarterback

Santa Margarita went 10-0 this season for the first time since Carson Palmer was a high school standout himself. Now, his son is the quarterback ...

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer (black) is having a full-circle season with son Fletch Palmer at QB (3). | Scott Padgett

A Hollywood writer would scoff at this story because it might be too unbelievable.

Carson Palmer, a Heisman tropy winner at USC, No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft and Pro Bowler in the NFL, was once a standout at Santa Margarita Catholic (CA) in the late 1990s. He led the Eagles to back-to-back CIF titles in 1996 and 1997. Now, he's back at his alma mater as the head coach.

Last year, Santa Margarita won the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship before lifting the CIF State Open Division crown.

"And that group last year just got better and better and better as the season went on, and that's the goal," Palmer said. "I think we've been trending in that direction, this year's team, just getting better and better with each win."

Santa Margarita poses after winning the CIF State Open Division championship with a 47-13 win over De La Salle at Saddleback College. | Jeremy Westerbeck

This year, the Eagles are 10-0 in Palmer's second year at the helm. But the 10-0 regular-season record is far more special than just the winning mark.

The last time Santa Margarita went 10-0 ... it was in 1997 when Palmer was under center. The quarterback for 2026 Eagles: Fletch Palmer, Carson's son.

"I grew up around him and grew up learning from him and everything, so he's definitely a little harder on me, and I think that's what has maybe gotten so much better," Fletch said on being pegged the starting QB by his father. "I'm honored this year to be the starting guy."

Fletch is a junior who earned the starting job this season and has not lost as a starter. He's thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 11 TDs this season. He's guided Santa Margarita to an outright Trinity League title, which is the first time in program history.

"He's relentless. He's tough. He gets knocked around, he bounces back up off the ground. He's resilient," Carson said of Fletch. "But at the end of the day he just keeps getting better and better and better."

Interview

I sat down with Carson and Fletch Palmer, the father-son duo at Santa Margarita, to talk about the full-circle season the Eagles are having in pursuit of another CIF title.

When I asked Fletch about Carson’s film at SM back in the 90’s, he said: “it’s a little blurry.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/rF7Byp13RO

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) November 13, 2026

Santa Margarita Eyeing Another CIF Title Run

Santa Margarita earned the No. 1 seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. The Eagles will host San Clemente in the postseason opener of the 8-team field.

"You know, I don't think much about going 10-0," Carson said. "It's an incredible honor, an incredible accomplishment by by this group. We'll Get months away, we'll get away from it, you know, after the season and look back and reflect, but when it's going on, you're just, I'm thinking about San Clemente."

"I think as a player we kind of go into it as like it's going to happen," Fletch added. "Like there's not a doubt in our mind, and we know that we gotta think about going into each and every game and take it one by one, but that's always in our minds is there's no doubt we're going to go and we're going to take care of business."