Huntington Beach taps former NFL player Matthew Hatchette as its next football coach

Huntington Beach High has hired former NFL player Matthew Hatchette as its next head football coach pending board approval, the Huntington Beach Union High School District announced Wednesday.

Hatchette, a receiver during his career, played in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars before retiring following the 2003 season.

He has been coaching high school football for nearly 15 years, most recently serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Loyola High from 2018 to 2024. This is his first head coaching position.

“I am beyond excited for this opportunity to be the head coach of such a legendary program,” Hatchette, 50, said in a news release. “I can’t wait to get started with the team, the school and get to know everyone in the community. It will take all of us banding together to create a winning culture and have the program compete at a high level. Teamwork makes the dream work ... GO TIME!”

Hatchette takes over at Huntington Beach for Brett Brown, who resigned last month after nine seasons. The Oilers went 7-5 last year, advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division 5 quarterfinals.

Before joining Loyola, Hatchette served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Pierce Junior College (2015), Orange Lutheran High (2016) and Long Beach Poly High (2017). Huntington Beach has a top quarterback in Brady Edmunds, who will be a junior in the fall and is committed to Ohio State.

Hatchette, originally from Ohio, has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Langston University in Oklahoma.