How Georgia Southern football coach Clay Helton impressed Savannah fans and boosters

Clay Helton was born with football in his blood. His father, Kim Helton, has 52 years of coaching experience in college and the NFL and currently serves as an offensive analyst for his other son, Tyson Helton, the head coach at Western Kentucky.

Clay Helton learned how to relate with people and command a room from his father — and those lessons were on display Monday night as Helton met with fans and boosters at the Georgia Southern Eagle Club Tour, which made a stop at the Armstrong Center for a meet and greet, dinner and a talk with Helton, along with coaches from several other sports and athletic director Jared Benko.

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Helton is in his first year at Georgia Southern after serving as the head coach at the University of Southern California from 2015 until he was let go in 2021. He posted a record of 46-24 at USC and said he can't wait to get started at GS, in an interview before he spoke to the gathering at Armstrong.

"I've been so impressed with the Georgia Southern community, just their love for the program and the university," Helton said. "You can tell why it's such a great place. The alumni have been phenomenal to me and my wife and our family, it just feels like the team is so important here."

He mingled with fans and made a good impression at Monday night's event.

"I really like what I see in Coach Helton," said Sherry Rahn, an Eagle season ticket holder for 10 years. "I noticed it from the beginning when he met with fans in the parking lot at a game last season. He was out there shaking hands and talking to people. You see some coaches, like in the SEC, that are put on a pedestal. But coach Helton, he knows how to be personal, and I think that's important."

Helton said he is excited about the development of Kyle Vantrease, the 24-year-old quarterback who transferred to Georgia Southern from the University of Buffalo.

More:Quarterback Kyle Vantrease brings instant veteran presence to Georgia Southern football

"He's no different than some of the quarterbacks I coached at USC and I think he's ready to light the world on fire," said Helton, 49. "It's like when Matthew Stafford left Detroit to join the Rams. His environment changed and he played in a system that fit him better, and I expect the same kind of thing with Kyle."

Helton said the two biggest improvements he's seen in the team since he was hired in November have come in the receiver's room and on the special teams level.

"Our wide receiver group didn't get a ton of opportunities last season, but they have grown the most in the new system and proved they can all make explosive plays," Helton said. "And we spend a half an hour on special teams in each practice, so we've seen an elevation of play there."

More:Clay Helton lauds four quarterbacks at Georgia Southern's first spring football practice

His enthusiasm and knowledge of the game were acknowledged by the group of about 70 on hand for the event, which included Richmond Hill head coach Matt LeZotte.

"We've got two players from Richmond Hill at Georgia Southern in kicker Britton Williams and punter Matthew Daniel, so we've had a very close relationship with the program," said LeZotte, who was a quarterback at James Madison in his college days. "And I'm really excited to see the new brand of football that coach Helton is going to bring to Statesboro. Successful high school teams in Georgia run the football, but we have so many gifted athletes. I think he'll use those athletes and spread things out a bit more and do things differently. I'm excited to see how he implements it and gets things done."

More:Georgia Southern Extra: New coach Helton doing things his way at first football practice

Helton, a former college quarterback at Auburn and Houston in his college days, playing for his father as a team captain in his senior season at Houston. He is known for his offensive acumen, and fans are excited about what he will bring to the table in Statesboro. He said the Eagles will still have a strong run game, but with an added dimension through the air.

"Right now, we have a really good quarterback and some dynamic receivers," Helton said. "We'll still have that physical style running game, but we're going to push the ball downfield a little bit more vertically than has been in the past. You'll see a little be more balance offensively."

Helton said he relished the chance to have his father in Statesboro during recent practices, as Kim Helton was "coaching up the coaches." The father-son duo capped the experience with a trip to the Masters on Sunday — the first time either had been to Augusta National.

"It was a great experience seeing a 73-year-old man turn into a 10-year-old seeing that course," Helton said. "We both loved it."

Fans can see the work the new coaching staff has done up close at the Georgia Southern Spring game to be played at Paulson Stadium at noon Saturday.

"It's a culmination of 15 practices with the full implementation of three different systems, including special teams. To be able to put that on display in the spring game is kind of a celebration of a 14-week cycle we've been on," Helton said. "These kids have worked their tails off for 14 weeks and now they get to do it with fans watching, to have a crowd and their families there. They're going to feel that performance anxiety when they see all the people around, so it's always good to see where your team is. They've had two really good scrimmages and now we get to do it in front of everybody and see where we're at."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN