Georgia Southern hires Clay Helton as head coach
Georgia Southern hired Clay Helton as its new head coach on Tuesday, the school announced.
He reportedly signed a five-year contract with an average salary of almost $800,000 per year, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reports.
"I cannot wait to get started to build a football program that is consistently winning championships and is the platinum standard of college football on a national scale," Helton said in a statement.
Helton had coached the Trojans on a full-time basis since 2015 following two stints as the interim head coach, earning a 46-24 record. He led USC to a Rose Bowl victory in 2016 and a Pac-12 title in 2017.
"Clay is renowned for not only his coaching abilities but for the person that he is," Georgia Southern athletic director Jared Benko said. "He's an elite offensive mind who has produced record-setting offenses and high NFL draft picks everywhere he's coached."
USC fired the 49-year-old Helton in September following a blowout home loss to Stanford.
Georgia Southern fired head coach Chad Lunsford in September following a 1-3 start. Lunsford ended his time in charge of the Eagles with a 28-21 record.
The new Eagles coach will immediately begin filling out his staff, getting involved in recruiting, and observing practices.
Georgia Southern is 2-6 entering Saturday's game against Coastal Carolina.