High school football: Carson Palmer, defending California state champ Santa Margarita announce 2026 schedule

Former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer won a state title and led Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) to a No. 4 national ranking in his first season as head coach of the program.

Year two of the Palmer era will begin with a showdown against 2025 Florida Class 4A state finalist Jones (Orlando, Fla.), beginning a 10-game regular season slate the school unveiled over the weekend. See the complete schedule below.

Palmer, the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner at USC and a 15-year NFL veteran, was named MaxPreps National Coach of the Year after guiding Santa Margarita to its first state title in 14 years last fall. The Eagles won their final six games while outscoring the opposition 210-56.

Santa Margarita also has a non-league road game with Centennial (Corona) in a rematch of last season's Southern Section Division 1 final. The Eagles bested the Huskies 42-7 before handling De La Salle (Concord) 47-13 in the state championship game.

Trinity League play begins Oct. 2 against perennial power Mater Dei (Santa Ana).