Kaumeyer begins Comets restoration

2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW

PALOMAR COMETS

Former Comets All-American inherits a rebuilt roster as Palomar attempts to reverse a 3-7 season

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SAN MARCOS — Thom Kaumeyer’s return to Palomar College is about more than coming home.

It is about restoring a football program that once helped define community-college excellence in Southern California.

Kaumeyer, a former Palomar All-American and NFL defensive back, begins his second stint as the Comets’ head coach Saturday when Palomar travels to Ventura College for a 6 p.m. season opener.

His hiring was announced less than four weeks before the opener, leaving little time to install systems, evaluate a largely rebuilt roster and establish a new direction following Joe Early’s nearly quarter-century in charge.

Kaumeyer nevertheless brings extensive experience and unmistakable connections to the program.

He played safety at Palomar in 1985 and 1986, later played at Oregon and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft. He began his coaching career with the Comets and led Palomar to an 8-3 record and No. 18 national ranking in 1994, his only previous season as the program’s head coach.

Three decades later, Kaumeyer inherits a team attempting to turn the page after finishing 3-7 overall and 2-5 in conference play last season.

The Comets lost five consecutive games during the middle of the schedule before closing with victories over Chaffey and Mt. San Jacinto.

That late response offered a better finish, but the season’s numbers showed the size of the rebuilding assignment.

Palomar averaged a respectable 380.8 yards and 26.2 points per game, including 275.8 passing yards, but allowed 509.1 yards and 32.9 points per contest. Opponents rushed for 235.5 yards per game and threw for another 273.6.

The Comets also lost most of the players responsible for last season’s offensive production.

Quarterbacks Jakob Harris and KJ Chatham combined to complete 205 of 389 passes for 2,758 yards, 23 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Harris threw for 1,580 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Chatham produced 1,178 yards and 10 scores.

Leading receiver Furious Hoskins, who caught 59 passes for 956 yards and eight touchdowns, also is gone. So is leading rusher Chris Bausch, who carried 116 times for 554 yards and three scores.

That leaves Kaumeyer and his staff with open competition at nearly every offensive skill position.

The roster lists three freshmen at quarterback: CarMyne Garcia, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect from Skyline High in Idaho; Noah Schuback, a 6-1, 200-pound Poway product; and Aaron Knapp, a 5-11, 200-pound freshman from Saint Francis in San Jose.

Whoever wins the position will work with a receiving group that retains some experience, although none of the returning players was a featured target last season.

Sophomore Jathan Bejarano is the leading returning receiver after making 17 catches for 180 yards. Princeton Anderson caught seven passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while Dominic Hawk recorded six receptions for 42 yards.

Hawk also averaged 12.1 yards on 10 punt returns, giving the Comets another potential way to create field position.

Sophomore Andrew Muirhead returns in the backfield after receiving limited opportunities last season. The running-back group also includes freshmen Maurice Howard, Demarian Allen, Thomas Jouvenot-Sells, Anthony Jordan, Brady Powell and Bowyn Cannon, among others.

Palomar does have returning size and experience along the offensive line.

Sophomores Kansas Kealoha, Cole Nelson, Skye Gruber, Dan Konnerth and Liam Kline give the Comets several veteran options. Kline is listed at 6-6 and 300 pounds, while Konnerth is 6-5 and 320.

Defense faces the largest repair job

Kaumeyer made his reputation as a defensive coach, and that background could be especially important for a unit that surrendered more than 500 yards per game last season.

Linebacker Tanner Doyle enters the season as Palomar’s leading returning tackler. Doyle finished last year with 47 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack while appearing in all 10 games.

Defensive back Bubba Garcia may be the most accomplished all-around returner.

Garcia recorded 35 tackles and two interceptions as a freshman. He also became one of the state’s more dangerous kickoff returners, producing 815 yards on 30 returns, an average of 27.2 yards, with a 99-yard touchdown.

Sophomore defensive lineman Zaire Bush contributed 20 tackles, while defensive back Kameron Betts made 19. Caden McDonald added 14 tackles in six games.

The defensive front includes returning ends Jonathan Class, EJ Brandreth, Bunta Shimoharaguchi and Bush. Class, a Mission Hills High graduate, is listed at 6-3 and 232 pounds.

The roster also contains an extensive group of first-year defenders, making early-season development particularly important. Kaumeyer’s experience coordinating defenses at San Diego State, Tulane and Hawai‘i should give Palomar a clear teaching foundation, even if immediate improvement requires patience.

Beard provides proven leg

One of Palomar’s most dependable returning players is kicker Carson Beard.

Beard converted all 31 extra-point attempts last season and made six field goals, including a school-record-range threat from 53 yards. He also averaged 44 yards on three punts.

His ability could be especially valuable while Palomar’s inexperienced offense establishes its identity.

Small East County contingent

As expected, Palomar’s roster contains only a small number of players from the traditional East County Sports coverage area.

Freshman linebacker Brody Shartel comes from Valhalla High and is listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds.

Freshman kicker Trent Whillock, a Granite Hills graduate from Alpine, is listed at 6 feet and 170 pounds.

The broader inland group includes sophomore Ethan Grajeda of Ramona and sophomore linebacker Maximus Cruz of Julian. Poway products Schuback and defensive back Eli Alsop also provide nearby North County connections.

Difficult opening stretch

Palomar’s schedule offers an immediate test.

The Comets open at Ventura, the team that defeated them 32-21 in last season’s opener. The home opener follows Sept. 5 against East Los Angeles, followed by Pasadena City and San Diego Mesa.

The conference schedule again includes Riverside, Southwestern, El Camino, Saddleback, Chaffey and Mt. San Jacinto.

Palomar played several competitive games last season, losing to Pasadena by one point and Mesa by seven, but its defensive problems made sustained success difficult. The Comets surrendered at least 38 points in four games, including 62 against Riverside.

Kaumeyer will not have the luxury of a gradual transition. The first game arrived only weeks after his appointment, and much of the roster has yet to establish itself at the college level.

But the new coach knows the institution, its history and what a successful Palomar program once looked like.

His first Palomar team won eight games. His second will begin with more uncertainty—and perhaps a more substantial rebuilding assignment.

The restoration starts at Ventura.

2026 Palomar schedule

• Aug. 29: at Ventura, 6 p.m.
• Sept. 5: East Los Angeles, 6 p.m.
• Sept. 12: Pasadena City, 6 p.m.
• Sept. 19: at San Diego Mesa, 6 p.m.
• Sept. 26: Riverside, 6 p.m.
• Oct. 8: at Southwestern, 6 p.m.
• Oct. 17: El Camino, 6 p.m.
• Oct. 24: at Saddleback, 1 p.m.
• Oct. 31: Chaffey, 1 p.m.
• Nov. 7: at Mt. San Jacinto, 6 p.m.

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