Posted on 09/13/2021 2:47:45 PM PDT by Fiji Hill
USC athletic director Mike Bohn announced Monday that Clay Helton is out as head coach of the Trojans.
Cornerbacks coach Donte Williams will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Bohn and Helton addressed the team and delivered the news during a regular Monday meeting.
“Clay is one of the finest human beings I have met in this industry, and he has been a tremendous role model and mentor to our young men,” Bohn said in a statement released by the USC Athletics department. “We appreciate his many years of service to our university and wish him nothing but the very best. Consistent with our values as an institution, he deserves the utmost respect from the Trojan Family during this transition.”
Helton took over as the permanent USC head coach in late-2015 after serving as interim for much of that season. He posted a 46-24 record and went 2-3 in bowl games (one win as an interim head coach). USC is coming off a blowout loss to Stanford, dropping its 2021 record to 1-1 and falling out of the national polls.
“Our university and its leadership are committed to winning national championships and restoring USC football to glory,” Bohn said in the statement. “I accept the enormous responsibility I have to our current and former players and the entire Trojan Family to live up to our incredible heritage.”
The firing comes just two games into the 2021 season, but this has been building. Helton helped the Trojans to a Rose Bowl win and a Pac-12 title in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but USC went just 5-7 in 2018 and lost five games in 2019.
“As I committed to upon my arrival at USC, during the past two off-seasons we provided every resource necessary for our football program to compete for championships,” Bohn said in his message announcing the change. “The added resources carried significantly increased expectations for our team’s performance, and it is already evident that, despite the enhancements, those expectations would not be met without a change in leadership.”
Bohn said USC will begin a national search for its next permanent head coach.
Quit abusing breaking news with your sports articles
That was brutal Saturday night.
The Athletic Director refers to college football as an “industry”.
True that!
Go get Meyer from Jax.
Seems an early in the season to can a coach.
“Clay is one of the finest human beings I have met in this industry, and he has been a tremendous role model and mentor to our young men,” Bohn said in a statement released by the USC Athletics department. “We appreciate his many years of service to our university and wish him nothing but the very best. Consistent with our values as an institution, he deserves the utmost respect from the Trojan Family during this transition.”
Lol. “And so we are firing this paragon of competence and virtue.” Lolol.
Wonder how long a Head Football Coach would last if they argued that the university should take a fixed percentage of the revenue collected and put it in a trust fund for the “student athletes”.
I wish UW would fire Jimmy Lake after the Huskies got beat by Montana at home and then at Michigan.
USC needs a cheater, like Pete Carroll.
USC should be an NIL mecca for star athletes.
Or Lou Holtz
Can a coach. Good one. Let him out or he’ll suffocate.
I think Meyer just went to Jax to have something to do until the Notre Dame job opens up, which probably will be fairly soon.
If you watched that game Saturday night, you wouldn't be saying that.
Also looking at how good UCLA has been so far didn’t help matters.
Texas did exactly the same thing.
I still have a big grin after watching what Arkansas did to them.
Only UCLA Fans are upset by this news.
“Also looking at how good UCLA has been so far didn’t help matters”
Fresno St. will tell me how good UCLA is. Yes Fresno St., the same Fresno St that should have beaten Oregon, IN Oregon Saturday before last. And put up 63 point this last Sat.
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