Many USC Trojans fans want Clay Helton fired, and they are getting serious about the situation.
A group of USC fans who belong to “The Peristyle,” a USC message board that’s part of the 247 Sports family, started a GoFundMe page on Tuesday with the goal of raising $23,000. After around four hours, 84 people had donated over $4,700 to the cause.
The goal is to raise enough money rent a plane with an aerial banner calling for Helton’s firing to fly over the USC campus before the team’s game against Notre Dame this weekend. They wanted $2,000 for that and then $20,000 to purchase a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times calling for Helton’s firing.
“We want to spread the message that Trojan Family is not happy with how the athletic department is being run and, most of all, that Clay Helton should not continue on as our football coach,” the fans say on the GoFundMe page.
USC has slipped to 5-6 under Helton. They lost to rival UCLA last weekend despite the Bruins entering with a 2-8 record. The Trojans would need a major upset over their other rival, Notre Dame, to avoid a 5-7 record, which would be the program’s worst since 2000.
Helton has been confident that he is not on the hot seat despite calls for his job. Helton went 21-6 the previous two seasons when he had Sam Darnold at quarterback.
