The USC Trojans made it public Monday morning that they will remove the interim tag on head coach Clay Helton, as he will be the official replacement of the fired Steve Sarkisian at USC.
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Players greeted the announcement with cheers and a standing ovation before circling the new coach while cheering his name.
A source told ESPN’s Brett McMurphy that Helton’s deal is a three-year contract that includes incentives for a two-year option if Helton attains certain goals. Since Steve Sarkisian’s firing, Helton led the Trojans to a 5-2 finish to their regular season, which included no losses at home, and a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Prior to becoming head coach, Helton, who has been at USC since 2010, served as the team’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.
USC (8-4, 6-3), which has won five of its last six games, is scheduled to kick off against Stanford (10-2, 8-1) on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. ET for the conference crown. “I am extremely humbled and grateful to Max Nikias, Pat Haden, and the Trojan family for having the opportunity to be the head coach at the University of Southern California”, Helton said.
“He was not hired because many current and former players voiced their support for him”.
“I’ve had the great experience and fortune to be a part of this special place for six years, ” Helton said.
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Clay Helton has twice taken charge of the Southern California football program in moments of crisis and steadied it with calm leadership. And he was not hired because he is a Trojan. It was announced on Monday that Helton would be retained once again but this time as permanent head coach. “Haden denounced such claims and said he believes “[Helton] can win us Pac-12 and national championships here”. I totally understand the high bar of excellence and expectations that come with the job.
