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Clay Helton
Age: 43
Record at Current Job: 2-1 as USC Interim Head Coach
Overall Record: 2-1
Why He Would Be a good fit for USC:
College football has had a turn to offensive minded coaches. Coaches like Jim Harbaugh, Urban Meyer, and Art Briles have stolen the show while defensive minded guys like Will Muschamp and Al Golden have failed. Helton was brought up on the right side of the ball for a modern day coach which could lead to him being a success.
Already being on campus running the show means Helton would have the built in advantage of already knowing (and hopefully have the trust of) the players, fan base, boosters, campus, and current staff. Keeping Helton on board would lead to less coaching turnover compared to bringing in an entirely new coach who wants "his guys." Helton staying a member of the Trojan family would maintain any momentum the 2015 team brings and keep it rolling into 2016.
If USC can string together more games similar to that of their dominant victory over then #3 Utah, Helton could also have a longer leash with the fan base than a new coach would. That means more time to transition into his systems and his players, which leads to stability and better overall results.
Why He Would Be a bad fit for USC:
Inexperience. Simple as that. Clay Helton may be able to coach, but he as 3 total games under his belt as a head coach. He isn't all that flashy, and he doesn't have much of a reputation outside of southern California.
College football is a game of recruiting. Even with USC's built in advantages of being a top flight university, football tradition, and location in fertile recruiting grounds, Helton as the head man could cause a major issue.
Another problem is that his offenses, while prolific, have been extremely inconsistent. Did you watch that Washington game? The 2015 Trojans have weapons all over the field and a senior quarterback. This should lead to consistency, but it hasn't. USC box scores have looked decent, but the offense has been predicated on big plays and when they aren't hitting, the offense has been anemic.