The path of Georgia Southern's head coach has crossed with those of Lane Kiffin and Jaxson Dart during his career.

Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss team will face Clay Helton's Georgia Southern team up next on the schedule, and there is plenty of connection between the two.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was the Trojans’ head coach from 2010-13 — and served as an assistant with USC before that — and hired Clay Helton as his quarterback coach in 2010. Helton, now head coach at Georgia Southern, became Kiffin’s offensive coordinator in 2013 and served as USC’s full-time head coach from 2016-21.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton first crossed paths years ago at USC.

Helton would eventually be given multiple roles during Kiffin’s tenure, including offensive coordinator in 2013. He would later serve as the Trojans’ interim coach for a bowl game after Kiffin’s firing and Ed Orgeron’s resignation from his post as the interim following the season.

Georgia Southern is gearing up for a crucial road test, as they travel to Oxford, Mississippi to take on fifth ranked ole miss. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as a Georgia Southern win would make it the first time the program has ever defeated a top five opponent.