Clay Helton Joins the Dan Patrick Show

In the previous week, USC head coach Clay Helton joined The Dan Patrick Show to discuss multiple topics on his talented Trojan team. Helton is entering his second season as head coach following a 10-3 campaign which included a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.

When asked about the hefty expectations that fall on his star quarterback Sam Darnold, Helton said, “He welcomes [the expectations], he doesn’t see it as an obligation, he sees it as an opportunity,”. Dan Patrick even added “we”(him and his staff) already have Darnold as the number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

When asked about Darnold’s demeanor, Helton spoke of the last touchdown pass Darnold threw against Penn State to tie the game late fourth quarter, “every eighteen-year-old would be going nuts in that scenario and just going crazy and he literally as soon as he completes it looks over to the sidelines at me and goes, ‘coach are we going for one or two’,”.

I guess Darnold is just an old soul. Watch him discuss the rest of Sam Darnold below.

Patrick then asked Helton, “who was the most impressive player he’s coached against?”. Helton brought up Trojans offensive coordinator Tee Martin, admiring his performances for the Tennessee Volunteers. He added, “I’ve always respected Tee as a person and a coach,”. You can listen to more of that discussion below.

The Dan Patrick Show airs on AT&T’s Audience Sports - Channel 239 - Monday-Friday 9:00am - Noon ET.