How Lane Kiffin, Clay Helton Originally Crossed Paths at USC

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton first crossed paths years ago at USC.

Sep 14, 2024; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin during the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton will cross paths on opposite sidelines this weekend, but their journey in football became intertwined years ago at USC.

When Kiffin was the head coach of the Trojans, his father Monte approached him about a potential fit at the quarterback coaching position out in Los Angeles, and that name was none other than Clay Helton. Kiffin went into detail about how he came to know Helton at a press conference on Monday.

"Clay's awesome," Kiffin said. "One of the finest people I've ever met or been around. Wonderful human being, great wife Angela.

"It's another one of my dad's thing where he just had a way of finding really good coaches and things. I didn't know anything about him or who he was. We were at USC and looking for a quarterback coach, and he said, 'You need to interview this Clay Helton.'"

Once Kiffin reached out to Helton, he was immediately impressed by what the coach brought to the table. Helton's arrival at USC in 2010 marked his longest destination to date in his coaching career, one that lasted as quarterback coach, offensive coordinator, and later head coach until 2021.

"He was at Arkansas State sleeping on his office couch at the time," Kiffin said. "He had just taken a job there. Interviewed him and was just really impressed. Really good coach and great person."

Kiffin's departure from USC was an unceremonious one as he was "fired on the tarmac" of the Los Angeles International Airport during the 2013 season. Helton would remain on staff with the Trojans until he held the head coaching position from 2015-21, eventually being relieved of his duties and taking the Georgia Southern job in 2022.

Both of these names are brilliant minds in the world of coaching, and they obviously think highly of one another. The goal on Saturday, however, will be a win for their respective programs, and kickoff in Oxford is set for 6:45 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network.