OPINION: Georgia Southern made a home-run hire with Clay Helton

DJ Cadden, Sports Editor

Mostly everyone who watched or listened to new Georgia Southern football head coach Clay Helton’s press conference could sum up their thoughts in one word: Impressed.

Helton lit up the room with every answer, drawing laughs from the crowd of (probably) more than 100 people.

The former USC coach had a clear vision for the Eagle football program, which he believes is shared by university president Kyle Marrero and athletic director Jared Benko.

Three division titles in the Pac-12, a conference championship, a Rose Bowl victory and five first round draft picks. What more could you ask for in a head coach at a Group of Five school?

We’ve seen several Power Five coaches make moves to smaller schools following their firing and have success. Sonny Dykes at SMU, Willie Taggart at FAU and Hugh Freeze at Liberty are three prime examples of big names having success at smaller schools.

While the transition may take a few years and Eagle fans may grow impatient, the results in the long run will be far more than what Georgia Southern fans could ever imagine.