Helms makes a lifestyle change, happy to be a Clemson man

Helms is in the best shape of his life.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Sep 11 17:24:03 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Hunter Helms looked in the mirror and knew he needed to make some changes. And then went out and made the necessary changes to be the best version of himself.

Helms, the graduate quarterback who sits second on the depth chart, is in the best shape of his life. Standing in at 6-2 and weighing in at 210 pounds, he feels he can have the impact he needs to make on the field. And it all started with changing his diet and how he thinks about food.

“I kind of looked myself in the mirror, literally, and was like, yeah, this isn't going to work anymore. Had to make some changes,” Helms said Monday. “The big thing was the nutrition, and Meaghan (Turcotte, the Director of Football Performance Nutrition) does a great job. That chicken and rice and broccoli really helps. It gets boring sometimes, but just sticking to that, I was doing a little more cardio and working out with a little more intensity and just kind of having a main focus for the nutrition aspect, like I just said, because that really does make a big difference.

“But it's helped out a lot. I feel better, I believe, mentally and physically, more clarity in things. And it's just weird how that happens when you kind of lean down a little bit. I think it was definitely a needed transition for me, and I thought I needed to do it, and I was grateful that I did. Now I just got to keep it.”

That meant cutting out fast food.

“I really just cut out all fast food and just try to stay away from all the crap that I would eat. Like, just, like, a chips or something. I really just got really strict with it,” Helms said. “There was about three, four months that literally I was probably eating four to five chicken breasts a day, and that was kind of it. I'd eat, like, breakfast, like, egg whites and stuff, but for lunch, I would eat just chicken breast with rice and broccoli. And then for dinner, I would eat just straight, plain chicken breast. It got really old, but it worked.”

Helms graduated in May with a degree in construction science & management, and with two years of eligibility remaining, could have gone into the transfer portal and to another program and been a day-one starter. But he elected to remain a Tiger.

“It's kind of the guy that I am. Just really wanted to stick it out here and obviously wanted to get my degree, which I did in May,” Helms said. “So, I stayed through spring and just gave my best shot and had a good spring and looked at things and thought I was in a good position to be the number two guy. That was kind of my mindset after the spring, and I thought I'd accomplished that, and I was alright with that. Talked to my family about it, of course, but just being at Clemson for me is just kind of where I want to be, and I'm happy with it.”