Clay Helton will remain the head coach of USC’s football program for another season, athletic director Mike Bohn announced Wednesday.
“I am pleased to let you know Coach Helton will continue to be our head coach,” Bohn said on Twitter. “His commitment to our student-athletes and to leading with integrity is vital to restoring our championship program which is the goal for all of our teams.”
In a following tweet, Bohn said he and Helton will “take a hard look” at the program and will make further decisions in pursuit of competing at a championship level.
The decision was highly anticipated after a week of contradictory information. Sports Illustrated’s Adam Maya released a report Sunday that Helton would be fired but was immediately denounced by prominent figures including Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel and Fox Sports and the Athletic’s Bruce Feldman whose sources claimed Helton would be staying.
Helton has been on the hot seat since the Trojans finished with a 5-7 record last season. Before the final game of the year against Notre Dame, a plane flew above the Coliseum trailed by a banner that read “Lynn Swann, please fire Clay Helton.”
Despite the program’s performance, Swann — the athletic director at the time — decided to retain Helton for another year. When Swann abruptly resigned in early September and Mike Bohn took hold of the athletics department, many fans expected Helton’s fate was sealed regardless of the team’s performance during the season.
Helton’s team markedly improved this season. After starting out 3-3, USC finished with an 8-4 record and a spot in a bowl game.
In a letter from Bohn addressed to the “Trojan Athletic Family,” he wrote “I salute our football players, Coach Helton and the rest of his staff for their strong finish to the regular season. The team’s winning spirit and pursuit of excellence were on full display as they won five of their last six regular season games.”
Helton expressed his faith in the team’s ability to meet the fanbases’ championship expectations moving forward.
“We know the expectations of our fans are high, as they should be,” he said in a statement. “Those are the same expectations I have for myself and that our staff and team have as well.
“Our future is bright. We have a young team on the verge of doing something special. We have seen what this team can do, having the season we have had despite going through adversity and injuries. We are headed to a great bowl and we plan to finish the season strong. And we are putting the final touches on an outstanding recruiting class.”
Although Helton’s job remains intact, the rest of the Trojan coaching staff is in limbo. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is reportedly a top candidate for the open offensive coordinator job at Texas. Clancy Pendergast’s ability to lead the defense has also been questioned since the Trojans conceded 56 points to Oregon earlier this season.
Despite the backlash Bohn’s decision is receiving from the Trojan faithful, he said he is confident the fanbase will rally around next year’s Trojan squad no matter who is at the helm.
“I believe in our team and in our fan base,” Helton said. “I know we will all come together to succeed. I am excited about the future of our team and our university.”
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