With his first Pac-12 Championship trophy in the bag, Clay Helton is a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award for the second time as the USC Football head coach.
The American Heart Association announced this year’s finalists on Wednesday, listing Helton along with Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, UCF and now Nebraska’s Scott Frost, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Army’s Jeff Monken, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
Helton was a finalist for last year’s Bryant Award, which ultimately went to Swinney for the second consecutive year.
With the award due to be announced on January 10, Helton has one big opportunity to make his case as the nation’s most impressive head coach this year: Besting Urban Meyer’s Ohio State.