Jake Olson, first blind Division I football player, thanks Clay Helton

USC announced today that they were relieving head coach Clay Helton off his duties, and long snapper Jake Olson thanked him for playing him despite his being blind. The redshirt junior made the Trojans team as a walk-on player in 2015 and became the first-ever blind player to play in a Division I football game.

Jake Olson thankful for opportunity under Helton

Olson took to Twitter following the announcement that his coach was no longer going to leading his former team any longer to share his respect for Helton. While Olson agreed that the change was needed, he wanted to make clear that he had great respect for Helton.

“Sometimes change is necessary and in this case it absolutely was and I’m hopeful and excited for what the future holds to get SC back to glory! I also want to pay respects to a man who truly loved SC and who I know gave 110% every day he worked there. Now let’s all Fight On!”

Jake Olson made the Trojans roster in 2015, the year that Helton took over as interim head coach of USC. Olson lost his eyesight to cancer at 12 years old and became the first-ever blind player to play during a Division I football game in 2017. He snapped the final PAT against Western Michigan and would do so again against Oregon State later in the season.

“I also want to thank Helton for fielding the first completely blind college football player,” Olson continued. “He didn’t listen to those who said I didn’t belong on the field but saw me as just another one of his players who had to prove my worth through my football ability not my physical ability.”

Clay Helton out as head coach

The Clay Helton era at USC is officially over. The Trojans announced Monday night that Helton has been let go and will not finish his seventh season at the helm of the program. Athletic director Mike Bohn has tabbed Donte Williams as interim head coach.

This comes just days after Stanford walked into the Coliseum and handed USC a 48-28 loss. Helton was booed off the field at the half. The Trojans committed 111 yards of penalty in the loss, and their kicker Parker Lewis was ejected on the first play of the game. Quarterback Kedon Slovis has continued to regress; he threw a pick-six in the third quarter.

The loss dropped USC to 1-1 on the season and out of national polls.

Helton’s time in Los Angles is over; he finishes with a 46-24 record. But the Trojans are 19-15 since 2018 and have not won the Pac-12 since 2017. They went 2-3 in bowl games and have struggled to stay relevant on the national stage, too.

Helton had two full years remaining on his deal after this season. Helton is expected to be owed more than $10 million in buyout money.

“As I committed to upon my arrival at USC, during the past two off-seasons we provided every resource necessary for our football program to compete for championships,” Bohn said in a statement. “The added resources carried significantly increased expectations for our team’s performance, and it is already evident that, despite the enhancements, those expectations would not be met without a change in leadership.”

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On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this article.