KNOXVILLE - Former Tennessee offensive coordinator Tyson Helton officially became the 21st head coach in Western Kentucky football history Tuesday.
Helton met with the WKU players Tuesday morning and is being formally introduced Wednesday afternoon. He replaces Mike Sanford, who was fired Sunday after a 3-9 record in 2018.
Sanford was 9-16 in two seasons at the helm.
"When determining our next head football coach, there were many qualities we felt this person must have. Certainly they needed to have an excellent football mind, but also be a tremendous person who was respected inside and outside of the locker room. We found that person in Tyson Helton," WKU athletic director Todd Stewart said in a news release.
"His background as an innovative offensive mind and a great motivator of his players fit our mission to find the next great leader for our football program. We are thrilled to bring Tyson and his wonderful family back to WKU."
Helton was the offensive coordinator for the Hilltoppers in 2014 and 2015, leading one of the most prolific offenses in the country. The team averaged 530.4 yards of total offense over the two-year span and had 12 wins in 2015 and a final Associated Press ranking of 24th.
He spent the next two seasons as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Southern California, where he developed Sam Darnold into an All-Pac-12 first-team quarterback and the No. 3 pick of the 2018 NFL draft. WKU quarterback Mike White, another player Helton coached, was a fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys.
Helton spent last season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee, where the offense - while having some bright spots - struggled. The Volunteers ranked at or near the bottom of most offensive categories in the Southeastern Conference, unable to overcome injuries, lack of depth and what appeared to be inconsistency with play-calling.
"Congratulations to Tyson Helton on being named the head coach at Western Kentucky," Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said in a released statement. "I'm grateful to Tyson for the hard work he put in this season and his help in setting the foundation for future success at the University of Tennessee. Tyson is an outstanding coach. I wish him the best and I expect he will do a great job at WKU."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.