St. Ignatius football coach Lenny Vandermade to join Carson Palmer at Santa Margarita

After leading San Fraancisco school to its first CCS Open title in more than a decade, Palmer's former teammate at USC will be offensive coordinator and associate head coach for the Eagles

St. Ignatius football coach Lenny Vandermade will join Carson Palmer at Santa Margarita for the 2025 season / Photo: Paul Ghiglieri

Driven by family considerations and an offer he couldn’t refuse from his old college roommate, St. Ignatius football coach Lenny Vandermade has left his post and is headed to Santa Margarita High School. 

The Bay Area Coach of the Year as selected by the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News will be Santa Margarita’s new offensive coordinator and associate head Coach to Carson Palmer, who was named the Eagles’ head coach in December.

• CARSON PALMER | Former NFL quarterback new coach at Santa Margarita

Vandermade was a starting offensive lineman for USC when Palmer won a Heisman Trophy for the Trojans in 2002. 

“My parents are down there, my mother-in-law and her grandkids are there in Southern California,” Vandermade said. “It’s hard to leave because St. Ignatius has been so good to me. Class acts from the top and from start to finish. I have nothing but love and appreciation for all of them and the kids.” 

Vandermade, who led the Wildcats to their first Central Coast Section Open Division title in more than a decade in 2024, left after two seasons, going 8-5 in his first season and 10-3 during a West Catholic Athletic League co-championship season. 

He told the team Thursday afternoon. The news of Vandermade's departure was first reported on X, formely known as Twitter, by Ethan Kassel.

“That’s the hard part for sure,” he said. “The kids were nothing but good and respectful. Some kids took it harder than others.” 

Palmer and Vandermade were two of eight housemates during college and remained in touch after they graduated. Vandermade was a high school All-American offensive lineman for mythical national champion Mater Dei in 1996, a four-year starter at USC when he and Palmer won a national crown in 2003. 

He played briefly in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

His coaching rounds took him collegiately to San Diego State, the University of San Diego and USC, to the high school ranks at Loyola-Los Angeles and Santa Margarita and to NFL internships with the 2015 Super Bowl champion Broncos and the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. 

Now he returns to Santa Margarita to play in the gauntlet of the Trinity League which features his alma mater and St. John Bosco, which have split up every state Open Division titles since 2016. 

The Eagles were 5-7 and 5-6 the last two season and haven't won more than seven games since 2012. Vandermade said Palmer contacted him after receiving the job in December.

"He talked about some possibilities and I said let me know if there's a serious offer," Vandermade said. "On Monday he called and asked what will it take. I told him I'd talk with my wife and family. On Tuesday I told him what that was and he got back to us shortly after. This all happened very quick."

Vandermade and his son Isaia, the oldest of four children and WCAL freshman and sophomore Player of the Year the last two seasons, will head to Southern California on Sunday to live. The rest of the family will join them in the summer.  

Isaia Vandermade, a 6-4, 285-pound defensive lineman, has five college offers: Cal, San Diego State, San Jose State, Washington and USF.

“There’s a lot of work to be done (at Santa Margarita),” Vandermade said. “That Trinity League is a beast. We’ll just put them in the best situations possible and go from there. I can’t wait to get started.”