Danny Sullivan is leaving Palo Alto after a two-year stint as head coach to join the football staff at Mitty as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“There are kids who are going to be bummed, there are kids who are going to be angry, and I get it,” said Sullivan, who made up his mind over the past couple of days after mulling his options for roughly a month.
The 30-year-old led the Vikings to back-to-back appearances in the Central Coast Section playoffs despite 4-7 and 3-8 records the past two seasons by virtue of fourth-place finishes in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division.
Sullivan drafted an email to the parents at Paly meant to be shared with the players detailing his decision to step down.
And while he has no specific knowledge regarding who might inherit his job, Sullivan feels the next head coach will have plenty to work with.
“It was a young roster last year and there are some good players coming back,” said Sullivan, who mentioned a junior core of linebacker Wes Walters on defense and quarterback Jackson Chryst, whose older brother Keller is at Stanford, wide receiver Paul Thie and running back Aiden Chang on offense, plus sophomore tight end/defensive lineman Louis Passarello. “Along with three returning linemen who were getting their feet wet this year.”
He added: “The possibilities are really endless. Trust me, I wish it was other circumstances, but I wish them all the best. They may not want to hear that from me and I understand that.”
Sullivan began his eight-year coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater Los Gatos, where he won a CCS title as a senior in 2005 before spending four years as a quarterback at Arizona State.
“One of the biggest lessons is that I’ve learned to be a lot more patient with things because it’s a process,” Sullivan said. “And you have to trust that process.”
A month ago, Sione Ta’ufo’ou was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach at Mitty.
Ta’ufo’ou is the founder of Difference Makers Athletics, with Sullivan one of the coaches who helped out with Epic7 — an elite 7-on-7 football team — and this past summer’s Difference Makers Quarterback Academy.
Now they’re teaming up again in an attempt to turn the Monarchs back into a CCS contender.
“With things nowadays, the season always starts in January,” Sullivan said.
