USC interim coach Williams tries to save season
Replacement for Helton unlikely to be permanent
LOS ANGELES — Relationships have been Donte Williams’ stock in trade, his ability to connect with recruits and their families making him one of the most sought-after assistant coaches in the Pac-12.
After the firing of coach Clay Helton on Monday, Williams will try to use those same bonds to salvage Southern California’s season, and perhaps leave athletic director Mike Bohn with a difficult decision to make as the West Coast’s historic college football power searches for a new leader.
Williams oversaw his first practices this week after being named interim coach for the Trojans (1-1, 0-1 Pac12), a title he found out about only minutes before Bohn and Helton informed players a change would be made. Bohn said the 39-year-old Williams got the role so offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando can continue focusing on game planning and calling plays.
“It’s not the Donte Williams show, right? It’s the USC show, so we’re working this all together,” Williams said. “There’s no I and me, it’s us and we, and that’s what the whole message is. Us and we. What we’re gonna do. Not what I’m gonna do. What we’re gonna do.”
Williams also has familiarity with many USC players after having recruited them during his time as cornerbacks coach at Arizona, Nebraska and Oregon before joining USC in February 2020.
“I think it just goes to show how respected he is, you know, within the team and within the nation because he’s touched a lot of people around the nation, some of the top coaches around the nation,” safety Isaiah Pola-mao said.
The immediate goal is to produce wins on the field, starting at Washington State (1-1) on Saturday. Williams hopes to establish greater accountability after penalties and breakdowns piled up in what would end up being Helton’s last game, an embarrassing 42-28 home loss to Stanford.
Getting things turned around wouldn’t be out of place considering USC’S recent history with interim coaches. Ed Orgeron went 6-2 after replacing Lane Kiffin in 2013 before being passed over for the permanent job in favor of Steve Sarkisian. Helton was promoted two years later after reaching the Pac-12 title game following Sarkisian’s dismissal.
With Bohn promising a “wide open” national search, it seems unlikely Williams could follow in Helton’s footsteps. However, a strong showing could put him in the mix for a variety of jobs, everything from remaining at USC to becoming a defensive coordinator in the Power Five or a coach at a Group of Five school, though Williams said that isn’t his immediate concern.