365 days ago, Clay Helton was relieved of his duties as the head coach at USC. Today, his Georgia Southern Eagles are the talk of the town coming off a win over Nebraska, and Helton’s plan is to ensure this is just the beginning in Statesboro.
Joining The Steakhouse on 92.9 The Game, Helton shared his vision for years to come at Georgia Southern with the goal of following in the footsteps of fellow group of five schools that have burst onto the national scene.
“Our vision and our goal here is to build a national brand. With the recruiting base we have, we feel like ‘why aren’t we the next Cincinnati, why aren’t we the next UCF to be a part of the national story? To be able to do that, you have to win on the road versus quality football teams that are traditional powers,” Helton told Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden.
Helton praised his team’s mentality leading up to kickoff in Lincoln and battling through a game that went down to the wire as a missed field goal gave the Eagles a well-earned 45-42 victory. Respect is earned not given, and the Eagles' head coach said victories by his program as well Sun Belt contemporaries App State and Marshall over Texas A&M and Notre Dame will go a long way toward garnering that respect on a national level—not to mention Old Dominion’s win over Virginia Tech in week zero and the recent success of Coastal Carolina.
As for what’s next, Helton and the Eagles face UAB and he says the focus must remain the same.
“Now, it’s about staying humble, staying hungry and staying consistent in our play and continue to build that respect,” he said.
Helton touched on the current state of college football, the transfer portal and USC’s move to the Big 10 during his appearance on 92.9 The Game. Check out the full interview below: