Clay Helton Among Potential Candidates for East Carolina’s Head Coaching Job
East Carolina University is searching for a new head football coach, and Clay Helton, the current head coach at Georgia Southern and former USC leader, is reportedly a strong contender for the role.
According to FootballScoop, several names have been linked to the position, which the site describes as “maybe the best job thus far to open up.”
The Pirates parted ways with Mike Houston after seven games this season, and defensive coordinator Blake Harrell has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the year. Under Harrell’s guidance, ECU has won all three games so far.
Helton, now in his third season at Georgia Southern, has led the Eagles to a 6-4 record and is on track to secure a bowl bid for the third consecutive year. With an overall record of 18-18, Helton is enjoying his best season in the Sun Belt, currently sitting at 4-2 in conference play with two games remaining and a shot at a Sun Belt title game appearance.
Before his tenure at Georgia Southern, Helton spent eight seasons at USC, where he compiled a 46-24 record, including a Rose Bowl win in 2016 and a Pac-12 championship in 2017. Despite a promising start in 2020, Helton was let go after a 1-1 start to the 2021 season, and USC finished the year 4-8 before hiring Lincoln Riley. Helton initially joined USC in 2010 as quarterbacks coach under Lane Kiffin.
