Not even two months after being fired as the head football coach at the University of Southern California, Georgia Southern has announced they will name Clay Helton as their next head football coach. Helton was the head coach at USC from 2015 until earlier this year with a combined record of 45-24. Prior to coaching the Trojans, he spent almost a decade as an assistant at Memphis.
The big question is “will he begin coaching immediately?” This seems unlikely and unprecedented. I can’t remember a new coach taking over in the middle of a season, let alone in November. This quick move will give Helton a jump on securing recruits that are already committed and hopefully more uncertain prospects.
Clay Helton brings Power 5 experience to Georgia Southern, but it is almost guaranteed that the Eagles will no longer be using the triple-option attack on offense.