Georgia Southern reaches a long-term agreement with head coach Clay Helton

Clay Helton will be sticking around in Statesboro for the foreseeable future. The Georgia Southern head football coach has agreed to a five-year extension that will keep him around through the 2029 season, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Wednesday. The pact will lift Helton's salary at an average of $1 million per season during that duration.

Helton joined the Eagles' program in November 2021 following a stay with USC that ended two months earlier. He's gone 20-19 over three seasons at his current post, reaching a bowl game in each of them.

Helton's new contract has incentives that could raise his pay above $1 million per season. He earned $800,000 in 2024.

What track record does Clay Helton have as a college football coach?

For Clay Helton, taking over at Georgia Southern provided a chance to dispel doubts about his coaching ability. Some didn't think he was fit to lead USC, despite going 46-24 and winning a Rose Bowl during his time in Los Angeles.

"The reality is the job was always too big," ESPN's Kyle Bonagura wrote shortly after the Trojans gave Helton his walking papers. "Had it not been for Steve Sarkisian's early-season dismissal in 2015, Helton never would have received the opportunity to lead a program anywhere near USC's caliber. His coaching résumé wouldn't have allowed it.

"At the time, however, Helton was the adult in the room, and that's what USC needed to navigate the rest of that tumultuous year without further off-field embarrassment."

Helton's the only coach in Trojans history to post at least 10 wins in both his first two full seasons. He had a dozen wins over AP Top 25 teams during his USC tenure. That total included three Top 5 wins and four Top 10.

"In firing Helton after just two games, (then-USC athletic director Mike) Bohn delivered a statement that USC fans have long been waiting for. Mediocre isn't good enough," Bonagura added.

Clay Helton had success in his first campaign in Statesboro, beating Nebraska on the road, which marked the program's second-ever Power 5 win. He's coached talents such as quarterback Kyle Vantrease, linebacker Marques Watson-Trent, and receiver Khaleb Hood.

Helton and the Eagles will collide with the Trojans on Sept. 6 in a non-conference matchup. In that matchup, the coach will face his successor, Lincoln Riley.

Since canning Clay Helton, USC has gone 26-14. The Trojans have bowl wins in each of the past two seasons, but their 7-6 record in 2024 was rather pedestrian, especially considering their move to the Big 10. The go-round was also Riley's first in Los Angeles without Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.