Comets late to name Kaumeyer coach

By Ramon Scott
Updated: August 4, 2026

Thom Kaumeyer

Former Comets All-American and NFL defensive back succeeds longtime coach Joe Early less than four weeks before season opener

2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SAN MARCOS — Palomar College has made an unexpected head football coaching change less than four weeks before the Comets’ 2026 season opener.

Athletic director Daniel Lynds announced Monday that former Palomar All-American and NFL defensive back Thom Kaumeyer has returned to become the program’s head coach, succeeding Joe Early after nearly a quarter-century in charge.

Palomar did not disclose the circumstances surrounding Early’s departure or indicate whether the longtime coach had retired. The timing is particularly unusual, with preseason preparations underway and the Comets scheduled to open Aug. 29 at Ventura College.

Joe Early was 119-122 at Palomar.

As recently as last week, Early was still publicly identified as Palomar’s head coach in coverage of the program. Monday’s announcement included no statement from Early and made no mention of a retirement, resignation or reassignment.

Early had led the Comets since the 2002 season, making him one of the longest-tenured community college football coaches in California. A former Palomar player and longtime assistant under legendary coach Tom Craft, Early recorded his 100th victory as the Comets’ head coach in 2021.

His first Palomar team finished 10-1 in 2002 and was ranked fourth nationally by JC Grid-Wire. Early also guided the Comets to a 10-3 record and the Southern California championship game in 2009. Palomar finished 3-7 last season, winning its final two games.

Kaumeyer, however, is hardly a stranger arriving at the last minute.

The former Comets standout has deep connections to Palomar and previously served as its head coach for one season. He becomes the 13th head coach in program history and only the second to return for another stint.

“We are all thrilled to have Coach Kaumeyer back on campus and leading our football program,” Lynds said. “Thom has had an incredible career as both a player and coach. He is a Comet Athletic Hall of Famer that has a unique gift for motivating and leading young men, inspiring them to be the very best version of themselves.”

Kaumeyer played safety at Palomar in 1985 and 1986, earning All-American honors before transferring to Oregon. He received All-Pac-10 recognition with the Ducks and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft.

He also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants.

Kaumeyer began his coaching career at Palomar in 1991 and was part of two national championship teams before becoming head coach in 1994. He led the Comets to an 8-3 record and a No. 18 national ranking in his only season running the program.

He returned to Palomar from 1998 through 2000 as defensive coordinator and special-teams coach after spending two years directing the Onward Kashiyama football operation in Tokyo.

Kaumeyer subsequently built an extensive résumé at the professional, major-college, community-college and international levels. He worked on the defensive staffs of the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars and served as defensive coordinator at San Diego State, Tulane and Hawai‘i.

During his tenure at San Diego State, Kaumeyer helped produce one of the country’s most dramatic defensive improvements. The Aztecs rose from 95th nationally in total defense in 2002 to eighth in 2003.

His career also included a season as Pasadena City College’s head coach and multiple stops in Japan, where he coached in the X-League and assisted the Japanese national team.

Kaumeyer returned to high school football in Hawai‘i as the head coach at Waianae in 2022. He later joined the staff at perennial state power Saint Louis School in Honolulu before accepting the Palomar position.

For Kaumeyer, the assignment represents an opportunity to rebuild the program that launched both his playing and coaching careers.

“It’s exciting,” Kaumeyer said. “I was in the same shoes as these kids, and the main thing about coming home is being able to give back what coaches like Tom Craft, Tony Lynds and Mark Eldridge did for me.

“We want our guys to know that we’re going to support them, develop them and give them the opportunity to show what they can do, whether that’s the next level or applying the lessons they learn in football to their life.”

Kaumeyer said academics and preparing players to transfer will be the program’s first priority, but he also invoked Palomar’s championship tradition. The Comets won three national championships during the Craft era, including titles in 1991, 1993 and 1998.

“The number one thing is getting their academics right so they can transfer,” Kaumeyer said. “If we can do that and get our football program back to where it was, winning state titles and national championships like we did almost 30 years ago, I think everybody’s ready for that. We’ll keep building the foundation to be in that race every year.”

Kaumeyer’s previous Palomar teams played their home games at San Marcos High School. He now returns to a program that plays on campus at Palomar College Stadium.

“It’s kind of intimidating coming back to where you played and actually having a stadium now, instead of a grass practice field and playing at San Marcos,” Kaumeyer said. “I’m already getting excited for that first game, being able to say, ‘Wow, this is a home game.’”

His first game back will not be at home. Palomar opens at Ventura on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m.

Kaumeyer’s homecoming will follow one week later when the Comets host East Los Angeles College on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m.