Notable California football program parts ways with former NFL coach after 8 seasons

Charlie Collins, a former wide receivers coach in the NFL, is out as coach at Oaks Christian after eight seasons.

Oaks Christian football coach Charlie Collins is out after eight seasons. / Tarek Fattal

Oaks Christian, which is one of the most notable high school football programs in California, has parted ways with its head coach Charlie Collins after eight seasons.

The school issued a release of the news Wednesday afternoon.

"As we conclude the 2025 football season, the Oaks Christian Athletic Administration announces that Head Varsity Football Coach Charlie Collins and the school have mutually agreed to launch the 2026 season under new leadership," the release reads. "We are thankful for Coach Collins’s dedication, commitment, and investment in the program throughout his time at Oaks Christian and we wish him the best with his future pursuits. "

"Oaks Christian is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and identifying exceptional leadership of the school’s football program as we look to further grow our mission of “athletic distinction.” The school is committed to finding the best head coach that will be a strong fit for the school, the student-athletes, and the program. We look forward to opening our search to both local and national candidates."

Collins took over for Jim Benkert in 2018 after Benkert led Oaks Christian to a CIF Southern Section Division 2 title in 2017. Collins was the offensive coordinator under Benkert.

Since taking over, he led the Lions to an admirable 59-34 record over his eight seasons at the helm. But this past fall, the Lions went 4-6 in the regular season, which marked the program's lowest win total ever. Oaks Christian did earn a playoff berth into Division 4 where it won two games, but lost in the semifinals to La Habra.

Oaks Christian did reach the Division 5 final in 2021, but lost to Valencia in the championship game.

Collins was a coach in the NFL for years. He was a wide receivers coach for the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals. Before his days in the NFL, he was at Santa Monica College where he coached Chad Johnson and Steve Smith before they went on to become All-Pro-type wideouts.

EXPECTATIONS

Oaks Christian has won eight CIF championships, including six straight from 2003 to 2008 under legendary coach Bill Redell.

As a program that sees itself as a top-flight CIF Southern Section football mainstay, dropping to Division 4 might've been an indicator that things were going in the wrong direction. The overall health of the program was in question, too. Lower-level numbers were down.

Oaks Christian has been known for its football since the school opened in 2000.

Standout players like Jimmy Clausen, Marc Tyler, Zach Charbonnet, Cassius Marsh, Colby Parkinson, Michael Pittman Jr., Carson Schwesinger and Kayvon Thibodeaux all suited up for the Lions in high school.

The team's top players this past year were DeShonne Redeaux (USC commit) and Davon Benjamin (Oregon). Standout sophomore quarterback Trey Towns Jr. transferred midseason to Rancho Cucamonga.

JOB WILL ATTRACT BIG INTEREST

Don't be surprised to hear big names rumored to take over at Oaks Christian. There are already rumblings that former NFL lineman Andrew Whitworth could take over. He is an outspoken Christian, has four children and has been seen on the sidelines at Oaks Christian football games.

Another name that will be thrown around for the job is Rio Hondo Prep's Mark Carson, who led the Kares to three straight CIF championships in Division 9, 7 and 5, respectively. Carson is a Christian man that is familiar with how private faith-based schools work.

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