USC football coach Clay Helton was paid about $2.6 million during his first season leading the program in 2016, according to the school's federal tax return for that fiscal year.
Helton coached the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State to end that season with a 10-3 record. In February of this year, he received a contract extension until 2023, but it is unknown if Helton was awarded a pay raise at any point since the 2016 season. As a private institution, USC is not required to divulge the salary information of its employees.
The fiscal period of the most current available tax return covers July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017.