USC is not firing Clay Helton after dismal year
Although there was plenty of speculation that the USC Football program would part ways with head coach Clay Helton, the Trojans have decided to go forward with the former college football quarterback.
Clay Helton began his career at USC as a quarterbacks coach, eventually rising up the ranks to become USC’s offensive coordinator before ultimately replacing Steve Sarkisian, currently the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator, as interim head coach in 2015.
Although Helton enjoyed a great deal of success in his first full season as the program’s head coach, winning the Rose Bowl and finishing third in the AP rankings after USC began the season ranked 20th, the fans have completely soured on him after this season’s 5-7 record.
Despite speculation suggesting Helton would be fired following the team’s loss to Notre Dame, USC Athletic Director Lynn Swann released a statement stating that Helton will keep his job.
“Clay Helton is our head coach and he will continue to be our head coach.”
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) November 25, 2018
USC AD Lynn Swann explains his decision in a letter to the #TrojanFamily. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/wjr1VMv28w
The press release was met with predictable derision from the USC Trojans fanbase, with many fans calling for Swann to be fired along with Helton after a disastrous 2018 campaign. Helton, who went 10-3 and 11-3 in his first two seasons, helped lead USC to a sub-.500 conference record (4-5) despite having a team that ranked 15th in the polls coming into the season.
Earlier today, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that USC was expected to fire Helton, tabbing Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, Penn State head coach James Franklin, and long-time NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio as three likely candidates to replace Helton. Harbaugh, in particular, was an intriguing candidate, given his success in the NFL as a 2012-13 Super Bowl winner.
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However, Helton’s job is safe, Swann and the USC Football program are standing by him despite the public outcry, and it will be interesting to see where USC decides to go from here. It’s possible that USC responds to the fans’ outrage, but since they’ve pointed to Helton’s success in his first two seasons as the Trojans head coach, it looks like he’ll lead the program for at least one more season, much to the surprise of college football observers.