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USC strips interim tag, names Clay Helton its new head coach

USC has hired interim coach Clay Helton to be the team’s permanent head coach, the school confirmed Monday.

"After weeks of searching the collegiate and pro ranks, interviewing candidates, and speaking with head coaches, athletic directors, NFL executives, and very knowledgeable football people, and after observing Clay in action the past seven weeks, it became abundantly clear that what we were searching for in a coach was right here in front of us," USC athletic director Pat Haden said in a statement. "Choosing a coach is an inexact science. In Clay's case, there is exactness. We have a man with unquestioned integrity. He is a fantastic person and he is real. Clay is a leader of young men. He is a terrific communicator. He brings high character, stability, continuity, consistency, toughness and resiliency to our program.

"We have known Clay well for the past six years. He earned this opportunity. He has been positive and upbeat handling adversity. He was built to be a head coach. Football is his family business. He is a coach on the rise and he will be coaching a team on the rise. As our interim head coach, Clay brought back USC's style of physical football. I have been impressed with how hard and how inspired our team has played for him, as well as the support they have shown for him.


"Clay was not hired because his team defeated UCLA Saturday. He was not hired because many current and former players voiced their support for him. And he was not hired because he is a Trojan. He is our choice because we believe he can win Pac-12 and national championships here. Clay Helton is the right man at the right time for the USC football program."

Helton took over for Steve Sarkisian in October and has gone 5-2 in the seven games since. The Trojans rebounded from 3-2 start to finish the season as the Pac-12 South champion. It will play Stanford in the title game on Saturday.

Players had been championing Helton for the job for weeks and while Pat Haden had been mum on his coaching search — there were rumors he was courting Chip Kelly from the Philadelphia Eagles — it was clear the players' calls for Helton did not fall on deaf ears.

"We want Coach Helton, plain and simple, we don't need to meet with Pat Haden, he knows we want Coach Helton, the way he's got this team back together … everybody on this team would give an arm and a leg for Coach Helton," linebacker Su'a Cravens told the L.A. Times. "Now we take it personally, Helton's job being on the line is making us fight even harder."

Perhaps Helton’s biggest selling point was last week’s 40-21 win over UCLA, the Trojans’ first win against their rivals in four seasons.

Helton has served two interim head coaching stints with the Trojans and is 6-2 overall. His only two losses are to Notre Dame and an Oregon team that is playing as well as any program in the country.

USC has not yet announced the specifics of Helton deal.

For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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