LAT: USC set multiple performance benchmarks for Clay Helton. He didn't make it past No. 1

CSC96

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Using just the eye test, Mike Bohn could’ve come to the same conclusion on Clay Helton after Iowa in December 2019 as he did after Stanford September 2021. No elaborate system of multiple performance benchmarks necessary. That recruiting cycle in 2019 was when USC finished in the 50’s in the recruiting rankings. In just the time that Bohn has been here, USC has just wasted so much time and it could’ve had Urban Meyer back in 2019. I’m sure Carol Folt deserves blame too. I’m not confident that Mike Bohn can make the correct big-time coaching hire now.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc...-helton-he-didnt-make-it-past-no-1/ar-AAOs4cQ
 

sctrojan2006

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When asked whether the ideal coach will have previously led his own program, Bohn said, “there’s no replacement for head coaching experience.”

It looks like Bohn isn’t interested in hiring a head coach that will be learning on the job. I am liking Bohn more and more as this week goes on. Fight On!
 

AnArchitect

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Management and administration sure likes to use "metrics" though.
But you know it's what saves their bacon in a wrongful termination suit.

The pearl I glean from that article is that Helton's meeting with the students was at 2:10.
The press release went out at 2:11.

I imagine Bohn standing out front, watching the doors close - and as soon as the latch clicked, immediately hitting "Send."

LOL
 

CSC96

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Management and administration sure likes to use "metrics" though.
But you know it's what saves their bacon in a wrongful termination suit.

The pearl I glean from that article is that Helton's meeting with the students was at 2:10.
The press release went out at 2:11.

I imagine Bohn standing out front, watching the doors close - and as soon as the latch clicked, immediately hitting "Send."

LOL
My email to some USC friends was at 2:32. Good news travels fast. My pearl was Bohn: “When asked whether the ideal coach will have previously led his own program, Bohn said, “there’s no replacement for head coaching experience.”” I hope he sticks to that.
 

AnArchitect

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My email to some USC friends was at 2:32. Good news travels fast. My pearl was Bohn: “When asked whether the ideal coach will have previously led his own program, Bohn said, “there’s no replacement for head coaching experience.”” I hope he sticks to that.
100%

I like that he's prioritizing leadership, integrity, and experience.

Even if Uncle Pete had some convincing to do on the last one, he'd at least been the guy with whom the buck stops before.
The best X and O guys will gladly work for a leader who can help them contextualize and find meaning in what they're doing.

Notice he didn't say "we're looking for an X's and O's whiz, a guy who can read all the complexities of a Denny's Menu and pick the same draw play or slow-developing pass to the near flat short of the line to go that failed on the last series."
 

HRPickenstuff

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Bohn had it with Helton. He was humiliated he had to send that proud to keep Helton Tweet that a Tessalone wrote up, and was then excoriated for by the masses. He wanted to fire him before the Iowa game but his hands were tied by people upstairs. Its why I believe he forced Clay into staff changes and gave him the Kobayahsi Maru corrective action plan. I don't think Bohn has any love lost for Helton and his BS, regardless of the press release,
Keen. I recall the moment I flipped on Clay Helton it was after a Loss it might have been after the OSU game. In his post game interview he said “that was the most fun I ever had coaching a game” I swear I lost it!!!

I could not believe a HC at USC would say he had fun after a loss. I could think of hundreds of words to use after a loss “FUN” would not be one. Right there I knew this guy was ok with losing he was complicit and disconnected from the fan base. He seemed too comfortable like the BOT would back him as long as he kept up the Boy Scout routine. He knew all he would have to do was dangle his carrots 🥕 in-front of the horse and he would survive another letdown.

I remember the moment I lost respect for him. The Game Ball stunt. Kedon Slovis had IMHO the best game of his career at USC he was deserving of recognition and that game ball 🏈 and Helton used that opportunity to try and grease his Boss Mike Bohn. Who did nothing but sit in the stands and munch on nachos. It was a pathetic display. When he did it again for Carol Folt. I said you’re embarrassing yourself where is your dignity? Go out like a man standing on your feet. Have some self respect.
 
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Troy70

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Keen. I recall the moment I flipped on Clay Helton it was after a Loss it might have been after the OSU game. In his post game interview he said “that was the most fun I ever had coaching a game” I swear I lost it!!!

I could not believe a HC at USC would say he had fun after a loss. I could think of hundreds of words to use after a loss “FUN” would not be one. Right there I knew this guy was ok with losing he was complicit and disconnected from the fan base. He seemed too comfortable like the BOT would back him as long as he kept up the Boy Scout routine. He knew all he would have to do was dangle his carrots 🥕 in-front of the horse and he would survive another letdown.

I remember the moment I lost respect for him. The Game Ball stunt. Kedon Slovis had IMHO the best game of his career at USC he was deserving of recognition and that game ball 🏈 and Helton used that opportunity to try and grease his Boss Mike Bohn. Who did nothing but sit in the stands and munch on nachos. It was a pathetic display. When he did it again for Carol Folt. I said you’re embarrassing yourself where is your dignity? Go out like a man standing on your feet. Have some self respect.
Like minds,lol. Was at Cotton Bowl but got to view replays of Clay talking about Fun, knew then he was a loser.
 

DaFireMedic

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Keen. I recall the moment I flipped on Clay Helton it was after a Loss it might have been after the OSU game. In his post game interview he said “that was the most fun I ever had coaching a game” I swear I lost it!!!

I could not believe a HC at USC would say he had fun after a loss. I could think of hundreds of words to use after a loss “FUN” would not be one. Right there I knew this guy was ok with losing he was complicit and disconnected from the fan base. He seemed too comfortable like the BOT would back him as long as he kept up the Boy Scout routine. He knew all he would have to do was dangle his carrots 🥕 in-front of the horse and he would survive another letdown.

I remember the moment I lost respect for him. The Game Ball stunt. Kedon Slovis had IMHO the best game of his career at USC he was deserving of recognition and that game ball 🏈 and Helton used that opportunity to try and grease his Boss Mike Bohn. Who did nothing but sit in the stands and munch on nachos. It was a pathetic display. When he did it again for Carol Folt. I said you’re embarrassing yourself where is your dignity? Go out like a man standing on your feet. Have some self respect.
I flipped on Helton during the 5-7 season when I watched a freshman QB consistently given no time to throw and no open receivers to throw to. His offense was terrible.

I gave him a cautious second chance when Swann announced that he would be retained with a new OC, but that fell off quickly.

I ended up coming to the realization that this team was never going to be any better than the man at the helm.
 

HRPickenstuff

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I flipped on Helton during the 5-7 season when I watched a freshman QB consistently given no time to throw and no open receivers to throw to. His offense was terrible.

I gave him a cautious second chance when Swann announced that he would be retained with a new OC, but that fell off quickly.

I ended up coming to the realization that this team was never going to be any better than the man at the helm.
Great post. I enjoyed reading your testimony. I recall all that. Clay Helton gave us so many Debbie Downer moments like this it’s hard to believe and I cannot Fathom why it took so long to pull the plug on the guy. It was event after event. When he called Toa Lobendahn the love ❤️ of his life at a press conference? I laughed my @$$ off. How do you say that knowing you are married, with kids and have living parents? That’s the thing with him, it was just hogwash almost everything he said was hyperbole and satire.
 
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Socrates

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His words were incongruent with the situation re: Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
I was thinking, Urban could have embarrassed USC by rolling 50 on you. How is that fun?


I hope they hire a HC that players and coaches have a healthy respect for and if needed fear.
 

HectorSpectre

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I wonder how long we’ll continue talking about Helton? Hasn’t it already all been said 50,000 times? Can’t we please move on? The guy’s gone. Hallelujah.

There’s finally cause for hope in Troy and rising expectations are again realistic, yet here we are mired in the same negative conversations that have been recycled continuously for years now.

Stay classy. We don’t have to make this a contest to see who can be the most insulting or vindictive towards Clay Helton. By all accounts he’s a truly decent guy, but he’s proven beyond all doubt that he’s not much of a football coach and he’s GONE!
 

TrojanHorseshoe

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I recall the moment I flipped on Clay Helton it was after a Loss it might have been after the OSU game. In his post game interview he said “that was the most fun I ever had coaching a game” I swear I lost it!!!
I was at that game and a bud of mine who graduated from Wiscy was embarrassed for us, texting me that the loss was “brutal.”

The following season, like a fool, attended the USC - UT game in Austin. Yet another doh-tastic performance! 2 alums came down from out of state. Embarrassing for me that I invited them down to my home state just to watch us get hosed.

The guy just never owned his sh*tyness. Always deflecting blame and pumping sunshine with his “love of my lifes” and “we’ll watch the tape” cliches. Dude sack the f up and own it for once.

Good riddance this dunce is gone. A stain and utter embarrassment on the history of USC football this guy was.
 

TrojanHorse

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I wonder how long we’ll continue talking about Helton?
People need to work through their emotions when major changes happen...it will go up and down for awhile. It hasn't even been a week yet. It's not unlike a divorce or a death in the family.
 
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deleted_00002

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In a post practice press meeting a few weeks ago, AD Bohn made it very clear that he expected the program to show it was going in the right direction and headed toward winning championships. Last season (CV19 notwithstanding) USC won the PAC12 south and played in the PAC12 CG - so anything short of that for this season was going in the wrong direction. After the Stanford loss - which was an unexplainable mess by Helton - there was zero chance this team under him was winning the PAC12 south. As such, no reason to let him continue to the end of the season and firing him then. Doing it now made the most sense to Bohn.
 
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Steve From Florida

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Sept 3, 2016. Just seeing this before the game probably should have been enough. Then having to endure the worst USC loss in 50 years might have been telling. He may have been building men off the field...but on the field he was sending out Paper Tigers.

View attachment 153124
This. This was the moment I knew we were in over our heads.
 

DaFireMedic

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This. This was the moment I knew we were in over our heads.
I may be in the minority, as I wasn’t too worried after that game. I’m just surprised that anyone was expecting a different outcome.

A coach in his very first game as HC with his offensive/defensive system and personnel in place, after taking over a troubled program trying to get its footing after the Sark era, taking on the consensus #1 team in the country led by the greatest college HC in history. This game screamed “rout” before either team even took the field.

I know we were all hoping for the best, but did anyone really expect anything but a rout in that game?
 
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ASECONDCHANCE

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People need to work through their emotions when major changes happen...it will go up and down for awhile. It hasn't even been a week yet. It's not unlike a divorce or a death in the family.
Not even close to being a divorce or a death in the family.
 

zitorocks

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You guys need to watch Ted Lasso. Clay Helton is the real life version of Ted Lasso without the intelligence to know how to motivate his players.
 
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norcalsurfer

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Hell to the no. we owe him five and half years of post mortem abuse.
also how do we really know if he's a decent guy, just because the players said so. if they truly wanted to fight for him, they should have put more of a fight against Stanford.

I thought Herm Edwards was a decent guy but looks like he might have to throw his staff under the bus or get canned himself after this season. Speaking of which, I wonder what the NCAA is going to do with ASU.
 

HectorSpectre

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People need to work through their emotions when major changes happen...it will go up and down for awhile. It hasn't even been a week yet. It's not unlike a divorce or a death in the family.

We can agreed to disagree, but people can and usually should work through their emotions in other ways than on a public forum.

This is most especially true when their "work-out" is primarily an angry bash-fest based entirely on their own personal disappointments in someone elses performance and is primarily comprised of ad hominem invective. It reflects poorly on all of us as fans. Clays failures do not.

JMHO
 
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HectorSpectre

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No it doesn’t JMHO


Your past position on Clay as head coach is well known and generally pretty reasonable, IMO. Regardless, whatever you may have posted, and why, in the past when Clay was still our active head coach is fair commentary on this forum.

But he's not any more and so your on-going invective now takes on an appearance of angry retribution and personal hatred of the man. If you believe that is appropriate and reflects well, that's your call, but I think you're much better than that and have lots of good insights and reasonable opinions to share that are germane to our current situation and our future.

There is nothing further to be gained or achieved by continuing. It just drags the board down into negativity that is no longer even an accurate or fair take on the state of our program.

Consider keeping your powder dry until David Shaw is named. :eek:
 

trojanfanpdx

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My email to some USC friends was at 2:32. Good news travels fast. My pearl was Bohn: “When asked whether the ideal coach will have previously led his own program, Bohn said, “there’s no replacement for head coaching experience.”” I hope he sticks to that.
Would 10 to 12 games count as head coaching experience? If Donte is successful, he’ll have had basically a full year under his belt. Not saying that’s what I want, but could be the out to retain and hire him.
 
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ASECONDCHANCE

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I wrote a lengthy piece about how I don't hate Helton. I don't know him. He didn't steal from me, assault me or my family, sleep with my wife or use my grill without permission. However as a sports fan, these coaches are avatars and representations of our passion, allegiance and association to the school and team. I don't hate Helton the man, but I severely resent the glib attitude, bureaucratic kiss assery, lack of results, unaccountability, the scores of student athletes that didn't develop, transfer or left to fend for themselves in administrative processes.

There is no abject negativity on the board, right now only elation, cautious optimism and trepidation. There is still ample room for Clay bashing. We earned it, he deserves it.

I realize that is an uncomfortable notion for some, but it hasn't even been a week. You have to realize just how much of a feat it is to make the board actually recognize that Lane and Sark were not rock bottom (well Sark was personally) but only a bell weather to see how bad the program can get. Helton got us there. Left the cupboard bare. The new coach will such a higher mountain to climb than he did taking over for Sarks talented but grossly underachieving team. Our talent is middle of the PAC now---at best. Combine that with Clays game planning and calling ineptitude, we have the disaster we see today.

if this is going on six months from now, then yes it might time to turn the page somewhat and focus on the new coach, but right now the wounds are fresh and the assailant has posted bond.
You come off as a baby that is crying because you’re hungry. You finally stop crying because you finally got your bottle but now that it’s empty for whatever reason you start crying again.
 

Rodgarnay51

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I flipped on Helton during the 5-7 season when I watched a freshman QB consistently given no time to throw and no open receivers to throw to. His offense was terrible.

I gave him a cautious second chance when Swann announced that he would be retained with a new OC, but that fell off quickly.

I ended up coming to the realization that this team was never going to be any better than the man at the helm.
You mean the freshman QB who had to make like a hockey goalie to field the center snaps?