Saturday Blitz
Fansided

USC Football: Kliff Kingsbury is home run hire for Clay Helton

By Connor Muldowney

LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Texas Tech Red Raiders answers questions during the post game interview after the game against the Baylor Bears on November 24, 2018 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Baylor defeated Texas Tech 35-24. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Texas Tech Red Raiders answers questions during the post game interview after the game against the Baylor Bears on November 24, 2018 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Baylor defeated Texas Tech 35-24. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

USC football wasn’t the only program that wanted Kliff Kingsbury as its offensive coordinator, but Clay Helton made it happen.

Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, USC football fans were fed up. Clay Helton had just led the Trojans to a 5-7 record, missing out on a bowl which was unthinkable given the amount of talent on the roster.

The offense sputtered and the defense wasn’t great, leading to its first bowl-less season since 2011 under Lane Kiffin when the Trojans went 10-2 but were actually ineligible for postseason play due to sanctions.

The last time USC actually finished the regular season with five wins was way back in 2000 and that led to Paul Hackett’s departure.

Fans wanted Helton gone, too, but he had just led the Trojans to 10 and 11 wins over the past two seasons, respectfully, and the athletic director voiced his support for the head coach and stated that no changes would be made after the disappointing season.

What better way to change your own fans’ tunes than to hire the hottest offensive coordinator commodity currently on the market?

After USC’s previous offensive coordinator moved on, the program needed to make a splash, and Helton did just that with Kingsbury, the former Texas Tech head coach.

Offense was never an issue with Kingsbury at Texas Tech and he even helped develop some of the nation’s best quarterbacks — such as Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield.

This was an absolute home run hire for Helton as his young quarterback, JT Daniels, could use some direction and there may be no better coach in college football to aid him after a rough season than Kingsbury.

Not only will Daniels benefit from this hire, but the entire offense will likely see a major uptick from an offense that was 54th nationally in the S&P+ rankings and averaged just 382.6 total yards per game. The Trojan offense will get back to its electrifying days with Kingsbury calling the shots on offense.

Next. Oklahoma vs Alabama: 3 Reasons to watch 2018 Orange Bowl. dark

Helton already had the backing of his AD, and with this hire, he has his fans’ support again.

Home/USC Trojans