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Mater Dei is again seeking a new football coach after the removal of Frank McManus after one season. With summer workouts approaching, the program has named an interim coach but here are 10 potential candidates to fill the opening based on Dan Albano’s analysis.
Chuck Chastain, formerly Roosevelt
Chastain recently resigned at Roosevelt after one season. The former Norco coach was a candidate to replace Bruce Rollinson at Mater Dei for the 2023 season.
Jon Ellinghouse, Sierra Canyon
Ellinghouse has become a hot name for openings in the Trinity League because of his success building the Trailblazers.
Khaled Holmes, Mater Dei
If Mater Dei again looks internally to fill the opening, Holmes remains an intriguing candidate. The former Mater Dei and USC lineman coaches the offensive linemen and serves as a special assistant to Mater Dei president Mike Brennan. Holmes also is listed as associate head coach.
Chad Johnson, Mission Viejo
Johnson is often viewed as a candidate because of his ties to the Trinity League as the former offensive coordinator at St. John Bosco. This past season, he guided Mission Viejo to a state title, which only makes him more attractive.
Raul Lara, St. Anthony
Lara is a veteran coach with a strong resume and connection with Brennan. Before his arrival at Mater Dei, Brennan briefly worked as the president at St. Anthony in Long Beach. Lara is best-known for his success with Long Beach Poly. He also served an assistant at Servite, Brennan’s longtime school.
Matt Logan, Corona Centennial
The veteran coach often surfaces with coaching openings in the Trinity League but is well-established at the Inland Empire powerhouse. After the ’22 season, he said he was “not interested” in Mater Dei’s opening for several reasons but his name will come up because of his success.
Scott McKnight, Mater Dei
The former JSerra coach and special teams guru served as an assistant coach at Mater Dei last season. He departed after the banquet. He notably arrived at Mater Dei with Randy Wright, one of his assistants at JSerra who is now the Monarchs’ interim coach.
Kevin Pearson, formerly Warren
Pearson recently resigned at Warren and has a successful track record. He also coached former Mater Dei star quarterback Bryce Young at Cathedral of L.A.
Troy Thomas, Edison
The former Servite coach earned strong reviews last season as an assistant at Edison under Jeff Grady. Thomas has an especially strong connection with Brennan, his former boss at Servite. Brennan has called Thomas one of his closest friends.
Randy Wright, Mater Dei
The Monarchs’ offensive coordinator has been named interim head coach. The former assistant at JSerra also serves as coordinator of football operations.
With summer practices approaching and key transfers enrolled, Mater Dei could stick with an interim coach in an effort for continuity. The school’s press release Friday mentioned that Wright would receive “support” from Holmes so it wouldn’t be surprising if the two are paired in the future.
Please send football news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram
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