Clay Helton, who has guided USC to a Rose Bowl berth, has been named one of 9 finalists for the 2016 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award, presented annually by the American Heart Association and Marathon Oil Corporation.
The winner will be announced live on Jan. 11, 2017 during the awards banquet in Houston at the Toyota Center. It will be broadcast live on FOX College Sports.
Helton is joined as a finalist are Paul Chryst (Wisconsin), P.J. Fleck (Western Michigan), James Franklin (Penn State), Dana Holgorsen (West Virginia), Mike MacIntyre (Colorado), Nick Saban (Alabama), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Dabo Swinney (Clemson).