Loyalty was rewarded for Clay Helton.
Helton joined Lane Kiffin’s first staff at USC in 2010 as the quarterbacks coach, then served as the offensive coordinator under interim coach Ed Orgeron in 2013 after Kiffin’s dismissal, led the team as the interim coach for the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl against Fresno State after Orgeron quit, stayed on when Steve Sarkisian took over in 2014 and became the interim coach when Sarkisian was fired mid-season in 2015. There were enough job titles to pack a résumé.
After his second interim stint saw USC win the Pac-12 South division title, Helton received a five-year contract and became a head coach for the first time in his career.