Coach Clay Helton to Return to USC in 2020

Coach Clay Helton will return to USC in 2020, athletic director Mike Bohn announced on Wednesday.

"I am pleased to let you know Coach Helton will continue to be our head coach," Bohn said in a statement 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.

"Heading into 2020, Coach Helton and I will work together to take a hard look at all aspects of the football enterprise and will make the tough decisions necessary to compete at a championship level."

According to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel, Bohn met with the team on Wednesday afternoon to announce his decision. Yahoo Sports obtained a memo from Bohn stating his goal is "to ensure all coaches have the support and resources they need to make USC the most attractive school in the country."

Thamel reports the letter suggests staff changes for Helton could be coming. 

Rumors swirled most of the season over USC potentially firing Helton. In September, athletic director Lynn Swann resigned and Bohn, who was hired in November, chose to keep Helton. The Trojans had a rough start to the year going 3–3 before bouncing back to finish the regular season at 8–4. 

During six seasons with USC, Helton has gone 40–21 and led the team to a 2016 Rose Bowl victory and 2017 Pac-12 championship.