USC Football Fires Head Coach Clay Helton

The USC Trojans have parted ways with Head Coach Clay Helton just two games into the 2021 season.

USC Athletics announced on Monday, September 13 the dismissal of Head Coach Clay Helton. 

In a press release the school wrote: 

"USC Director of Athletics Mike Bohn today announced that the university is making a change in leadership of the football program and parting ways with head coach Clay Helton.

Bohn and Helton addressed the program together during the regularly scheduled team meeting this afternoon. Bohn made it clear that USC’s leadership believes in the highly talented group of student-athletes on the team and is committed to building a program that consistently competes at the highest level.

The move ends Helton’s tenure as USC’s head football coach, where he led the Trojans to a 46-24 overall record."

This move follows USC's brutal loss to the Stanford Cardinal 42-28 at home on September 11. The Trojans' first loss of the season appeared to be the last straw for Bohn.

Associate Head Coach Donte Williams will now step up and fill the role as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021 season.

“Donte is an experienced and well-respected coach who is renowned for his ability to develop relationships with student-athletes, and I appreciate his willingness to take on this challenge," said Bohn. We still have control of our own destiny in the Pac-12 Conference, a tremendously talented group of student-athletes, and complete faith in the phenomenal assistant coaches and outstanding support staff in the John McKay Center.

Bohn also announced that USC will begin a national search for their next head coach.

“We will actively and patiently pursue a coach who will deliver on the championship aspirations and expectations we all share for our football program. With our storied history, our talented roster, and the major investments we’ve made in the infrastructure of our football organization, I’m optimistic that we are better positioned right now than we have been at any other time in the past decade to recruit the best and right leader for USC.”

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