Mater Dei has hired Frank McManus as the new head coach for its football program.

McManus had been the Monarchs’ defensive backs coach the past seven seasons and has coached in the football program for 16 seasons.

Mater Dei announced the hiring Thursday afternoon after informing the team’s players, who met with McManus at a team gathering.

McManus replaces Bruce Rollinson, who stepped down after the 2022 season, which was his 34th as the team’s head coach. Rollinson won eight CIF Southern Section championships and four state titles during his tenure.

McManus, 47, was a key assistant on the 2017 and 2018 Mater Dei teams that were declared national champions in national polls.

“I am honored and humbled to lead the Mater Dei Football program into a bright future for our current, future, and legacy Monarch families,” McManus said in a Mater Dei news release. “Our program will focus on fostering family relationships, faith formation, and a vibrant multicultural environment on campus while embodying and upholding the traditions of Pride, Poise, and Courage.”

Rollinson said McManus will carry on Mater Dei football success and traditions.

“I am extremely confident in Frank’s abilities to direct this program and develop great young men,” Rollinson said in the Mater Dei news release.

Mater Dei’s defensive backfield has been among the team’s best units in recent seasons. McManus helped develop several players who went on to star in college and reach the NFL, including Quentin Lake, who played at UCLA and now is with the Rams, and Jaylin Davies, who started in UCLA’s final four games of the 2022 season.

Mater Dei finished 12-1 in 2022 and won the Trinity League championship with a 5-0 league record. The Monarchs lost to St. John Bosco 24-22 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game.

McManus, who is married and has five children, has worked for several years in the aerospace industry as a production supervisor.