Breaking Down Tyson Helton as The Potential Next Virginia Tech Head Coach

Could the Hilltoppers' head whistle find his way to Blacksburg?

Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton on the sidelines during the rivalry football game against Middle Tennessee. | HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Virginia Tech football's coaching search continues for the 2026 season; with much left in limbo, many names have been floated as potential candidates. Several names, such as Jimbo Fisher, Jon Gruden and Shane Beamer have headlined the list, but one that could be a realistic option for the Hokies in 2026 is Western Kentucky's head coach, Tyson Helton.

Helton's History:

Helton was a backup quarterback at the University of Houston from 1996 to 1999, completing 44 of 109 passes for 454 yards, one passing touchdowns and six interceptions.

After graduating, Helton moved to the University of Hawaii to become a graduate assistant, moving up to the team's special teams coach position a year later in 2001. Helton worked with Hawaii as the special teams and tight ends coach from 2001 to 2003; in his first year, Hawaii led the nation in kickoff return yardage, at 30.3 yards/return.

After his stay in Hawaii, Helton moved to Memphis as the team's tight ends/special teams coach from 2004-2006, then became UAB's quarterbacks coach in 2007. In 2012, Helton became the team's running backs coach, manning the position for one season. After that, Helton once again became a special teams/tight end coach, doing so for Cincinatti for the 2013 season.

In 2014, Helton was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Wester Kentucky; in his first year, the Hilltopper's ranked fourth in the nation in total yards per game and second in passing yards, only behind Washington State. The following year, Western Kentucky ranked ninth in the nation in total yards per game and fourth in passing yards per game.

After a pair of campaigns with the Hilltoppers, Helton moved to California, becoming USC's passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach and aiding signal-caller Sam Darnold to the 2016 Archie Griffin Award and 2016 Rose Bowl MVP.

In 2018, Helton was hired as the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Tennessee, where the team finished 5-7. In November of that year, Helton was named Western Kentucky's head coach.

Helton, entering his seventh season as the Hilltoppers' head coach, possesses a 53-33 all-time record, including a 37-13 CUSA mark. Western Kentucky has qualified for bowls every year under Helton, claiming bowl victories in 2019 (First Responder Bowl), 2021 (Boca Raton Bowl), 2022 (New Orleans Bowl) and 2023 (Famous Toastery Bowl). Through six games in 2025, the Hilltoppers are 5-1 and are an undefeated 3-0 in-conference this season.

Aug 31, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton watches the game from the sideline. | Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Pluses:

Former Virginia Tech On SI staff writer Luke Hubbard spotlighted Helton as one of four potential options the Hokies could draw from the Group of Five. Here's what Hubbard had to say:

"Western Kentucky has been one of the most steady Group of Five teams under Tyson Helton. In six seasons with the team, Helton has taken the Hilltoppers to six consecutive bowl games, winning four of them. He's [53-33] overall and with another good season, he could be in the conversation to become a Power Four head coach."

Helton isn’t entirely unfamiliar with the Power Four landscape. He spent two seasons as an offensive coordinator with USC in the Pac 12 and followed that with a year as the play-caller for Tennessee in the SEC. Those stops exposed him to the intense week-to-week scrutiny that comes with coaching at a Power Four program. Although he hasn’t yet led a team as a head coach in those conferences, his time as a coordinator provides at least some insight into the demands and pace of the top-tier college football world.

Minuses:

As with the vast majority of Group of Five candidates, Helton remains unproven as a head whistle at the Power Four level. In addition, while Western Kentucky has tallied a losing season just once under Helton, it has not exceeded the nine-win mark under Helton, either.

While his track record shows promise within the Group of Five landscape, success against elite Power Four teams requires ascending to a higher echelon. Until he faces that elevated level of competition consistently, any assessment of his potential as a top-tier head coach remains largely speculative. That means that if Virginia Tech was to pursue Helton, it would do so with a veil of mystery in regards to how successful the hire would be.