Clay Helton addresses the media at press conference to announce his hiring as the Southern California Trojans permanent head coach at John McKay Center.
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The Trojans told reporters in an announcement Monday that interim head coach Clay Helton has been promoted and signed as the football team’s official and permanent coach, which in turn officially ends months of insane events, speculations, and issues.
New head coach Clay Helton happily accepts the challenge of leading Trojan Football to future victories.
Helton is 5-2 since taking over on an interim basis for Sarkisian, including a 40-21 win over UCLA, the Trojans’ hated cross-town rivals.
USC athletic director Pat Haden broke the news to the team during a meeting Monday morning, and when the players heard, the room went wild.
His promotion takes one of the best jobs in the country off the market during what has been an already active season for coaching changes.
Athletic Director Pat Haden says Helton is “the right man at the right time”.
“I am extremely humbled”, Helton said in a statement, via ESPN. “I never have been, and never will be”.
“I was very fortunate because I was here two years ago when it happened and saw what it took to be successful”, he said.
Numerous players faced the possibility of having a fifth head coach in three seasons. Since then, some big names were floated for the job; USC reportedly interviewed former Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton (a former Stanford assistant) and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano. A finalist for the Doak Walker, Maxwell and Hornung Awards, and semifinalist for the Walter Camp Award, the versatile McCaffrey set several school records by rushing for 243 yards against UCLA, posted nine-straight 100-yard rushing games, and recorded 389 all-purpose yards against Cal, the latter eclipsing a 25-year-old mark.
“As a leader, you have to show tremendous poise”, Helton said.
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“Choosing a coach is an inexact science”, Haden said. “I apologize for not being glitzy, but I believe that that blue-collar toughness mentality is what wins championships, and it has been proven here over a long period of time, way before me”. Two years later, Sarkisian began the 2015 season with a preseason top 10 ranking and a No. 1 recruiting class before being fired for multiple alcohol-related incidents. That came in 2013, when head coach Lane Kiffin was sacked after a 3-2 start and replaced by interim head coach Ed Orgeron.
