He joined the coaching ranks immediately upon graduation from college, working initially for June Jones as an assistant at Hawaii.
He gradually worked his way through the ranks at various NCAA Division I schools before being named head coach at Western Kentucky in 2019.
A native of Gainesville, Florida, Helton played quarterback at Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas.
Chad Owens, who was among the players Helton coached on special teams, set school records for all-purpose yardage.
During Helton's only season on McGee's staff, Blazers running back Darrin Reaves rushed for over a thousand yards and was awarded all-conference honors.
Quarterback Brandon Doughty passed for 4,830 yards and 49 touchdowns, and was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy at the end of the season.
Under Tyson Helton's guidance in 2016, USC quarterback Sam Darnold completed 67.2% of his passes, won the Archie Griffin Award, and was named Rose Bowl MVP.