Clay Helton enters his second season as head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles after seven seasons running the USC Trojans football program. Helton was able to find early success in 2022, going 6-7 and taking the Eagles to a bowl game.

Let’s take a closer look at his contract and agreement with Georgia Southern and what he will be paid for the 2023 season.

Clay Helton Salary and Contract in 2023

Georgia Southern and Helton agreed on him being the next head coach of the Eagles back in November of 2021. Helton’s deal was a five-year agreement that runs through the 2026 season. His salary started at $700,000 for the 2022 season. After that point, his salary increased by $50,000 per year until year five. Here is the full breakdown of his salary in each of the five years at the school:

• 2022 – $700,000
• 2023 – $750,000
• 2024 – $800,000
• 2025 – $850,000
• 2026 – $900,000

There are incentives for Helton that have been made public based on the performance of the team. Here are all the incentives he is eligible to receive based on what is in his contract:

• Average GPA of 2.7 or More – $5,000
• Academic Performance Rate of 980 or More – $5,000
• Sun Belt Coach of the Year – $10,000
• National Coach of the Year – $50,000
• Sun Belt Conference Championship Appearance – $25,000
• Sun Belt Conference Championship Win – $50,000
• 8-12 Wins – $15,000 Through $100,000
• Bowl Game Appearance – $25,000
• New Year’s Six Bowl Game Appearance – $50,000
• College Football Playoff Semifinal Appearance – $100,000
• National Championship Appearance – $250,000
• National Championship Title Win – $500,000

MORE: Sun Belt Standings, 2023

There are other benefits Helton received as well, such as having a company car, membership to the Forest Heights Country Club, and a $25,000 moving allowance.

If the school would fire Helton without cause before his contract ends, Georgia Southern would have to pay Helton out on the remaining salary he has left over.

Clay Helton Net Worth

While Helton’s net worth is not public knowledge, he still would have a high net worth due to the buyout at USC being about $12 million added on top of the salary he is receiving from Georgia Southern.

That would average out to be about $3 million to $4 million for his net worth. Despite that number most likely going down due to his lower salary from USC, his early success at the school is a good indication that he could keep his net worth high.