Georgia Southern has agreed to a new five-year deal for coach Clay Helton that extends him through the 2029 football season, sources told ESPN.
The deal includes a raise to an average of $1 million per year over the five years, per sources. He’s 20-19 over three seasons and has reached bowl games in all three years.
The deal includes incentives that could raise it above a million per year. He made more than $800,000 in 2024.
Georgia Southern is coming off an eight-win season in 2024, the best season there since 2020. Georgia Southern’s season in 2024 included wins over Marshall, James Madison, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.
Helton is a well-known name in coaching circles, as he spent seven years as the full-time coach at USC, a run that ended in 2021 with an early-season firing. He went 46-24 during his tenure there, which included a Rose Bowl win in 2016.
Georgia Southern will play at USC as part of the school’s nonconference schedule in 2025, a game scheduled for Sept. 6. They open at Fresno State on Aug. 30.