On Monday, USC coach Clay Helton placed a big bet on himself by taking over offensive play calling for the rest of the season. On Tuesday night, athletic director Lynn Swann went out of his way to back him up.
Swann called into USC’s weekly “Trojans Live” radio show on ESPNLA 710 with the strategic purpose, one promoted on the athletic department’s Twitter account, of addressing the state of the football program with the Trojans 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12 Conference.
Swann, who took over as athletic director in 2016 after Helton had been appointed coach by Pat Haden, extended Helton’s contract through 2023 after last season’s Pac-12 championship, the program’s first since 2008.