Pelion, South Carolina has announced its new football coach, former South Carolina offensive lineman Cory Helms. Helms will take over the Panthers’ football program after Dann Holland, the previous coach, transitions to a full-time position as the school’s athletic director. This change comes as Lexington 1 splits its football coaching and athletic director roles.
Helms’ hiring was officially approved during a meeting of the Lexington 1 board on Tuesday, and a press conference to introduce him is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the school. This marks Helms’ second head coaching position. He previously led the football team at Cardinal Newman, a private school in Columbia, for three seasons, finishing with a record of 16 wins and 18 losses and securing three playoff spots during his tenure.
During the 2023 season, Helms achieved his best record yet at Cardinal Newman, leading the team to a 9-3 finish and a semifinal appearance in the SCISA Class 4A playoffs. This was a notable achievement for the school, as the nine victories marked the most wins in a season since 1997 and their first semifinal spot since 2018. Before his time at Cardinal Newman, Helms worked as the offensive line and strength coach at Gray Collegiate in West Columbia.
Helms, who hails from Georgia, began his college career at Wake Forest before transferring to the University of South Carolina, where he started 46 games at guard and center. In 2018, he briefly joined the New Orleans Saints as a free agent and later played in two preseason games for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Panthers hope Helms can revive their struggling program, which finished this past season with a disappointing 2-9 record. Pelion has only had four seasons since 2008 that were .500 or better, the most notable being a 4-3 record in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they also won their first region championship since 2000.
Overall, the addition of Cory Helms shines a light on Pelion’s ambitions for the future, aiming to revitalize a football program in need of improvement.
