SALINAS >> He’s made a habit out of taking football programs that have fallen upon hard times and raising them from the ashes to make them champions.

Three times in his coaching career, Art Berlanga has resurrected football programs, taking Forge Christian in Colorado to the state high school championship game last fall.

But these were all high school achievements. Berlanga has opted for a new challenge, agreeing to become the new head football coach at Hartnell College — less than two months before the start of the season.

“Two words,” Berlanga said. “I’m home. This is not foreign to me man. People can make all the excuses. We’ll hit the ground running and focus on what I can control.”

A former Soledad and Hartnell football standout, Berlanga will take over a Panther program that went 1-9 last season, where it was outscored 187-14 in their last three games.

“He has earned this,” Hartnell Athletic Director Danny Teresa said. “He’s transformed teams into championship programs. Art is deeply connected to the community and recognized as a powerful motivator for young men.”

Berlanga has developed a pattern for turning programs into powers, taking Gonzales to a league championship in 2018 in his second season, duplicating the feat at Forge Christian last fall.

“I’ll let my body of work speak for itself,” Berlanga said. “I’m better today than I was then. I’m here to work hard and build this program. I have complete confidence.”Berlanga is no stranger to taking positions late in the game. His hiring at Hartnell comes 58 days before the official start of practice.

He met with prospective coaches on Wednesday and had a team meeting scheduled for Thursday.

“When I was hired at Gonzales, it came on June 12,” Berlanga said. “So this is nothing new to me. The first priority is to surround myself with good men that can help coach this team up.”

Berlanga has had 15 potential coaches reach out to him about serving on his staff this coming fall, with the plan to retain a few from the previous regime.

“These coaches want to be a part of this process,” Berlanga said. “These men believe in the process. I’m humbled by that.”

Hired in the spring as a professor on campus, Berlanga made it no secret when the interim job reopened that he wanted the position.

“I don’t think this was a surprise,” Berlanga said. “I think the kids knew I wanted the job. I’ve made it no secret since returning to California that I wanted the job when it opened.”

While Berlanga becomes the program’s third coach in three years, he was hired on a temporary full-time position. In December, Hartnell will create a Director of Football position.

“That’s why this process took longer than normal,” Teresa said. “We’re creating a new position next year, where the football coach’s duties will solely be coaching.”

The assumption is Berlanga will assume the role, although the job will open up, mainly as a formality.

“We’re excited for the leadership and passion he brings to our students,” Teresa said. “Listen, this is a two- or three-year process. Art knows the culture and what Hartnell is about.”

Berlanga will begin his summer football class on Monday, with little knowledge of who is coming back and who has been recruited by the previous staff.

Yet, less than 24 hours after the announcement, he had a dozen or so prospective high school players contact him.

“Some kids have been reaching out to me,” Berlanga said. “Ideally, I’d like to have 50 or 60 kids. This is college football. We’re going to do the best we can to be a solid college program.”

The expectation is sophomore quarterback Adam Shaffer, who suffered a knee injury in the season opener last year, will be back behind center.

A two-time Herald Offensive Player of the Year at Salinas, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Shaffer fits the quarterback profile Berlanga is searching for.

“My offense evolves,” Berlanga said. “I implement new things each year. I’m teaching it to be simpler and faster. I want a quarterback that can hurt people with his arm and legs. Get the ball to athletes in space.”

Defensively, Hartnell can go nowhere but up after being torched in its final three games last fall. Berlanga will have a 4-2-5 look.

“If we were going to hire anyone this late, it’s Art because of his reputation,” Teresa said. “He has a lot of trust in the community. I’m excited to have a former alum back to turn this program around.”

Berlanga will be just the third coach in the program’s 78-year history to have played and been a head coach at Hartnell, joining Tony Teresa and Ruben Lerma.

Working as a co-head coach with his brother at Soledad, Berlanga helped the program to its first two postseason appearances in 2011 and 2012.

After a stint as a defensive backfield coach at Hartnell, Berlanga took the Gonzales job in 2017, that was coming off a 1-9 season.

After dropping his first six games as a head coach, the Spartans won three of their final four and opened the 2018 season with 11 straight wins in reaching the CCS Division IV semifinals.

Berlanga’s run of 13 straight wins between 2017 and 2018 remains a Gonzales school record, as he won 21 games over three seasons.

“The only goal is to get better each week,” Berlanga said. “The rest will take care of itself. Don’t worry about the results. Just the process and improve a little each day.”