Former Gamecock named new football coach at Midlands private school
Cardinal Newman has turned to a former South Carolina Gamecock player to lead its high school football program.
Former USC offensive lineman Cory Helms will be the new Cardinals coach. He replaces Doug Dutton, who has been the school’s head coach since 2015. As of now, Dutton plans to take a year off from coaching and will still teach at Cardinal Newman.
This is Helms’ first head coaching job. He was introduced at a news conference Wednesday afternoon and held his first team meeting with 40 players in attendance.
“The first thing that drew me here was everything that is here,” Helms said. “The facilities that are here are awesome, the people are awesome. Everything is in place to be successful, it is just getting the right energy in here to make it happen. Athletic-wise, every sport here is successful. There is no reason why football can’t be as well.”
Helms has spent the past three seasons as the offensive line and strength coach at Gray Collegiate and training offensive linemen in the state with TrenchWork Performance. The War Eagles won the Class 2A football championship last season. More than a dozen Gray football players, including Mr. Football finalist and current Georgia State freshman KZ Adams, were in attendance to give support for Helms.
Helms credited Gray coach Adam Holmes and other coaches with the War Eagles for getting him ready for his first head coaching job.
Before going to Gray, Helms spent one year as a graduate assistant at USC after a brief stint in the NFL. He signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent in 2018 and also was on the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster later that year, where he played in two preseason games.
Helms, a Georgia native, started his college career at Wake Forest before transferring to South Carolina. At USC, he made 46 starts combined at guard and center during his career.
In 2017, Helms was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, given each year to the player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance.
Helms is in the process of putting his new staff together. He is bringing former Gamecocks quarterback Perry Orth to be his offensive coordinator. Orth has been QB coach at A.C. Flora the last three seasons. Former Airport assistant Marcus McGill will be the team’s defensive coordinator.
Helms plans to add three or more more coaches, possibly with USC and Clemson ties, to the staff and keep a few who were already on staff.
“Perry is one of the best quarterback coaches in the state and the Southeast,” Helms said. “And coach McGill is energetic, aggressive on defensive and that is what exactly we will be here. We have a very good coaching staff. That is the biggest thing that worried me was getting guys on board this late.”
Helms will be one of eight new head football coaches in the Midlands for the 2022 season. Cardinal Newman went 1-7 this year and missed the postseason. The Cardinals’ last winning season came in 2019 when they went 7-4 and lost in the second round of the playoffs to Hammond.
SC high school football coaching changes
Midlands-area schools in bold.
School — Former Coach — New Coach
AC Flora — Dustin Curtis — Ken Floyd
Airport — Kirk Burnett — Andre Cook
Bamberg-Ehrhardt — Robert Williams — Corey Crosby
Batesburg-Leesville — Gary Adams — Gene Cathcart — Greg Lawson
Ben Lippen — Stephen Cagle — Bennett Weigle
Bethune Bowman — Glen Darby — Cody McNeal
Blackville-Hilda — Brandon Isaac — Kevin Jones
Bluffton — John Houpt— Hayden Gregory
Boiling Springs — Rick Tate — Matt Reel
Burke — Anthony Sterling — Earl Brown Jr.
Cardinal Newman — Doug Dutton — Cory Helms
Dorman — Dave Guttshall — Dustin Curtis
Dreher — Treigh Sullivan — Corey Jenkins
Hemingway — Charlie Richards — Byron Abram
Hilton Head Prep — Dave Adams — Dustin Etheridge
Lamar — Chad Wilkes — Josh Pierce
Lewisville — Will Mitchell — Leon Boulware
Marlboro County — Bobby Collins — Quin McCollum
Newberry — Phil Strickland — Cedrick Jeter
North Augusta — Jim Bob Bryant — Matt Quinn
North Myrtle Beach — Matt Reel — Greg Hill
Oceanside Collegiate — Joe Call — Chad Wilkes
South Pointe — DeVonte Holloman — Bobby Collins
Stall — Joe Bessinger — Benjamin Lailson
Strom Thurmond — Antwaun Hillary — Andrew Webb
Travelers Rest — Ray Gould — Michael Lancaster
Westwood — Matt Quinn — Robert O’Connell
Whitmire — Charlie Jenkins — Andrew Miller
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 11:46 AM.
