By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

At no point in his playing or coaching career was Clay Helton based in Georgia.

Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, and California, yes.

Hasn’t lived in any part of the South since 2009 in Memphis. But he sure sounds like he grew up in Bulloch County, when the U.S Route 301 Bypass was still in the planning stages.

He and Georgia Southern assistants don’t venture far away from Statesboro, having signed 55 Peach State high school players in the last two recruiting classes.

And the phrase “great state of Georgia” comes early and often when he’s talking about his life at Georgia Southern as the Eagles’ head coach.

Saturday, before a record crowd at Paulson Stadium, Georgia Southern improved to 4-1 with a 38-28 win over Coastal Carolina, a nice way to enter a Saturday off.

“I thought there was nothing better than a win and bye week, especially beating Coastal,” said Helton Monday night in his third visit to the Macon Touchdown Club. “A win, a bye week, and coming up to Macon to be a part of this crowd, has been a joy, let me tell you.

“You’re fighting for your life each and every week, trying to get a victory, and then you get to come up here, laugh, and (get) by far the best meal I’ve had all season, I can promise you that.”

It’s a chance to lighten up, too.

“And how you rag each other is awesome, absolutely awesome.”

Helton seems to carry a demeanor of optimism with him at all times, and it’s been enhanced by how things have gone at Georgia Southern, quite a chance from his last gig, head coach at Southern California, fired after a 4-2 start in 2021 with a 46-24 record.

He hit Statesboro in the early stages of administrative changes, with president Kyle Marrero taking over late in the 2018-19 school year, and Jared Benko introduced as the new athletics director almost a year later.

And they had a vision: “ ‘We want to grow it to a national product. Why can’t it be the next Central Florida? Why can’t it be the next Cincinnati? Why can’t it be the next Tulane?

“They were aligned. Their leadership was aligned.”

Helton in video

Start: General comments, why Georgia Southern, leadership, future, athletics investments, road to success
7:00 – On starting center Chandler Strong from Houston County; Helton’s dad scouting tapes, offering ‘help’
8:40 – GSU’s current strengths and weaknesses. (“Area of improvement. I don’t like ‘weaknesses.’”)
11:20 – Use of new soft helmet covers in practice, and safety
12:50 – Family gatherings among recruiting wars with brother Tyson at Western Kentucky; mom worried about a bowl meeting; son playing for brother
14:30 – Erk Russell Parkway, impact on GSU and Statesboro, importance of traditions
16:30 – Small knee pads, uniform malfunctions, shorts
18:00 – Wide receiver Khaleb Hood, spreading out targets; a 6-6 Australian punter Alex Smith taking off on fourth and 19
21:20 – The new clock rules and effects; increase in tempo, tempo strategy, shortened playbooks
25:10 – Recruiting, focused on Georgia
26:50 – How player insurance works

Helton said the school is investing $100 million in the football, baseball, and basketball programs.

“Not just dreams,” Helton said. “They’re building.”

Part of the progress in attracting a successful former Power 5 head coach is the 4-1 start, and the win over Coastal Carolina in front of a record crowd of 26,384.

Next week’s game at James Madison is on ESPN2, and Saturday’s game was on the NFL Network.

The early investment in the Helton era including salaries for assistants, and Helton has two Central Georgia connections in might big roles.

Defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey was born in Macon, grew up in Perry and graduated from Westfield. His brother Ben graduated from Fullington, and Georgia Southern, and is head coach at Northside.

Bryan Ellis was a record-setting quarterback at Peach County, leading the Trojans to a 14-1 record and the 2006 GHSA Class AAA state championship, earning all sorts of honors along the way before playing at UAB, and then coaching at UAB, Western Kentucky, Southern California, and WKU again before returning to his home state.

“To have the quality of coaches that we do …,” Helton said. “Brandon Bailey, who I think is of the most talented (young) defensive coordinators in the country. You see Bryan Ellis, for the second year now at Georgia Southern, what he’s doing, top 5 passing offense at Georgia Southern.

“From the great state of Georgia. Brought up here, knows what Georgia football is all about.”

On hand Monday night at the Southwest table, including co-lineman of the week William Wimberly, was Patriots’ wideout Carmelo Mays, who has committed to Helton and the Eagles.

This year’s GSU roster has players from Westside, Stratford, Peach County, Gatewood, Macon County, Jasper County, and Trinity Christian.

Signees no doubt get a history lesson of the program from Helton, who said when he took the job that anything and everything Erk Russell had stamped onto the program – anchored by a blue-collar work ethic - would continue.

“To be real with you, Statesboro, Georgia is Erk Russell,” he said. “And we all know it. We’ll fight like hell for innovation, but there’s a reason six national championships are on that wall, and it’s because of that man.”