ESPN.com · Dec 1, 2015
Take Two: Was hiring Clay Helton the right move for USC?
USC’s announcement Monday that Clay Helton was hired as the school's full-time football coach was met with joy, skepticism, and everything in between. Pac-12 reporters Chantel Jennings and Kevin Gemmell had some thoughts.
Chantel Jennings: Hiring in-house is a tricky thing. It skips over that first period of guys “buying into a program” and a coach “learning the ropes,” but it can also look pretty uninspiring. For USC, athletic director Pat Haden’s hiring of Helton achieves both of these ideals.
The players clearly love him. And he understands the program and how it all works. But did anyone else hear the news and think, “Wait, really?” with a bit of a groan?