When Jim Singiser resigned as Arroyo’s football head coach in 2019 after 17 years as the program’s leader and nearly three decades at the school, he said he wasn’t sure if he was calling it quits forever as a coach.

He wanted more time to spend with his wife, more freedom to do other things.

But after five years, the itch to return was too strong to resist. Singiser this week was again named head coach at Arroyo.

“In all honesty, when I resigned in 2019, you get to the point after doing it for 17 years that you’re just looking for a change,” Singiser said. “Call it burnout, whatever you want, but I took some time off. I didn’t coach at all in 2020. But I’ve been at the school (as a teacher), I’ve helped out and I’m excited to be back.

“It was an opportunity to come back to coach and finish where I started and where I have taught for 31 years. I’m not going to be the coach for the next 15 to 20 years. When I’m done teaching here, we’re probably moving out of state. But I told our (administration) you’re going to get the best that I can give you for two or three years, and we will see what happens after that.”

Singiser compiled a record of 138-60 in his first stretch as Arroyo’s head coach. His .696 win percentage is the best in school history.

His crowning achievement as the team’s head coach came during the 2016 season when Singiser won his lone CIF-SS championship. The Knights beat Rancho Mirage 35-34 in overtime to win the Division 12 crown.

It is considered one of the most memorable games in SGV history, as the Knights scored the winning points on a 2-point conversion.

Singiser enjoyed a lot of success during his first tenure, winning 10 Mission Valley League titles and his team qualified for the playoffs in 16 of 17 seasons. He was the 2016 SGV Tribune coach of the year.

After resigning in 2019 and taking a full year off from coaching, Singiser returned to Arroyo as an assistant coach in 2021. He was the defensive coordinator when the Knights advanced to the CIF-SS Division 13 semifinals in 2022.

When Arroyo hired Pete Moye for the 2024 season, Singiser left the program to be the defensive coordinator at Arcadia.

When Moye resigned, after going 5-6 and finishing third in the Mission Valley League, Singiser started to strongly consider returning as head coach. He reached out to many of his former assistants, who agreed to return with him.

Singiser has reassembled much of his former staff. He said joining him will be Chuck Leonardis, who had replaced Singiser as head coach at Arroyo until he resigned in 2023. Also returning is offensive coordinator Chris MacMillan, along with Ernesto Camacho, Hunter Duran, Dyan Leonardis and his brother Steve Singiser.

“The opportunity to come back was appealing to me because I wouldn’t have done it without the staff we were able to put together,” Singiser said. “This staff we’re bringing back are all someone that I have coached with or someone I have coached. Everyone is chomping at the bit to get back and get at it.”

With five coaches on campus, Singiser said they already have a foundation.

“It gives you the opportunity to hit the ground running,” Singiser said.

Singiser said he met the team Monday to deliver the news and lay out his expectations.

“Our goal is never going to change,” Singiser said. “We’re going to put in the time, put in the work and we’re going to push these guys and raise their expectations. We’re going to try to improve every game in the preseason, try to win a league championship and get in the playoffs and go as far as we can go.”