MONTEREY >> Adrian Gallegos has spent the past five months running a community college football program, recruiting and preparing for a new era at Monterey Peninsula College … on an interim basis.

While the assumption was the offensive coordinator would become the Lobos’ next head coach, it was not made official until Wednesday when the interim tag was finally taken off Gallegos’ job title.

“For me, I had a lot of faith in our administration,” Gallegos said. “What (former head coach) Ronnie (Palmer) and I were building, I felt there was a lot of momentum. Of course, it’s always in the back of your head a little bit. I know how the business works.”

The Lobos’ offensive coordinator the past two years, Gallegos is replacing Palmer, who guided MPC to four straight American Golden Coast Conference titles, including a school record 11-0 season last fall.

“For me as an AD, it was a natural choice,” MPC athletic director Wendy Bates said. “But it wasn’t just up to me. There is a process of governing bodies and all the hiring practices we have on campus.”

On the heels of an 11-0 season, MPC is moving into the “A” League this fall, where it will compete in the National Valley Conference, which includes Fresno City and Modesto, two teams that competed in the playoffs last year.

“I wanted this — we wanted this,” Gallegos said. “We’re excited to compete against the best programs in the state. We think it will enable us to do more in terms of helping kids get scholarships. I believe we have a chance to be a powerhouse in the 831.”

While Gallegos was working over the spring under the interim tag, it didn’t hurt in his recruiting as the Lobos are expecting at least 90 players to be in camp on Aug. 4 when practice officially begins. Finding 90 helmets might be the first goal.

“We’ve been rolling already,” the 32-year-old Gallegos said. “I operated as if I was going to be the head coach. I had to treat it as if I was going to be here. We have a lot of good local and out-of-state kids coming in.”

When a back injury ended his college playing career at Hartnell, Gallegos recalled a conversation he had with then-Panther head coach Matt Collins.

“Coach Collins asked me what I wanted to do,” Gallegos said. “I told him I want your job. I realized playing was not my strength. But I’ve known since I was 13 that I wanted to coach. I just never thought I’d be coaching for a cross-town rival.”

After a stint as an assistant coach at Alisal and a season as an assistant at MPC under former coach Mike Rassmussen in 2018, Gallegos spent four seasons at Sacramento State before returning to the Lobos under Palmer.

“I had an offer from Boise State,” Gallegos said. “Ronnie called and asked if I wanted to be his defensive coordinator. I told him I see myself as an offensive guy. He made some changes and hired me. He told me ‘at some point, this could be your job.’”

While Gallegos grew up in Las Vegas, a lot of family lives in Monterey County. Family was one of the primary reasons he returned to the Central Coast.

“For me, there were some life things that changed my perspective,” Gallegos said. “I came back here to care for my grandfather. I realized how much time I missed with him. People can change their minds. But I’d like to never leave.”

Over 20 players earned athletic scholarships to attend four-year schools after playing last season at MPC. Gallegos hopes to triple that total for those who want to continue with their athletic careers and pursue an education.

“I feel I can make a huge impact on kids’ lives at this level,” Gallegos said. “I want to help kids get their education paid for. I want to change lives. When a kid comes in with a scholarship in his hand and tears in his eyes, there is no greater feeling.”

Before Palmer left to take a job as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, he and Gallegos talked about the direction both wanted to take the Lobos’ program.

“Adrian was every bit a part of this program’s success,” Bates said. “It’s a natural fit to keep the momentum going as we move into a tougher division. It just made sense. He’s very passionate, committed and has lofty goals.”

Over the past four years, MPC has gone 23-1 in conference, erupting for 60-plus points in five of their games last season, finishing No. 2 in the state in scoring.

“I just want to continue to evolve in what we do around here,” Gallegos said. “It’s stuff Ronnie and I had discussed in terms of where the program needed to go. We attacked recruiting a lot heavier this year. Fundraising has gone well.”

The orchestrator of the Lobos’ offensive assault last year, Gallegos will remain aggressive in his play calling, utilizing the talent that MPC has at the skill positions.

“We’re confident in what we do,” Gallegos said. “We attack success and don’t fear failure. I think that last two years showed that on offense. We’re not hiding that our goal is to be among the best junior college programs in California.”

Gallegos understands there will be a few more hurdles to clear this coming fall with a schedule that includes four programs that took part in the postseason last year.

“We might not go 11-0 in Year One,” Gallego said. “But we expect to. Our kids want competitive games. We’ve accomplished a lot at the other level. For us, it makes perfect sense to make the jump now.”