McManus took over for longtime head coach Bruce Rollinson before the 2023 season and led the Monarchs to the school's fourth state championship since 2017.
Mater Dei went 13-1 with the only loss coming in the regular season against rival St. John Bosco (Bellflower). The two programs met again in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game and the Monarchs won 35-7 before capturing the state title the next week against Serra (San Mateo).
One of the nation's most high-profile high school football programs in recent years, Mater Dei finished the 2023 season ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps. The Monarchs were crowned national champions in 2017 and 2021.
The school sent out a letter, re-posted on X by Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times, which left a lot of unanswered surrounding McManus' departure:
McManus played football at Mater Dei and coached at the school for 16 years before taking over last March. Rollinson led the program for 34 years prior to that, producing two Heisman Trophy winners and winning more than 300 games.
The Monarchs looked to be reloading for another run at a national title in 2024. In addition to a loaded returning cast, five-star wide receiver
Chris Henry Jr. announced he was transferring to the school from Ohio in February.
Frank McManus accepts the state championship trophy in December alongside star quarterback Elijah Brown following a 35-0 thrashing of Serra in the title game. (Photo: Heston Quan)
