Football
Cronic, Drew
Drew Cronic
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- football@mercer.edu
Drew Cronic was named the 20th head football coach in Mercer University history on Dec. 10, 2019. He spent previous two seasons prior to Mercer as the head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.
In his third season as head coach at Mercer in 2022, the Bears (7-4, 5-3 SoCon) reached their highest ranking in school history at No. 11 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. Mercer had its most explosive and potent offense in program history. The Bears had the best scoring offense in the SoCon, averaging 38.2 points per game. Mercer's defense led the FCS in interceptions with 17 on the season. The Bears had 12 players named All-SoCon.
Several players set school records and career-highs during the 2022 season. Quarterback Fred Payton had the most prolific passing season of any quarterback in Mercer school history. Payton set the school record for single-season passing yards (3,019), passing yards in a game (514), single season passing touchdowns (32), and passing touchdowns in a game (5). He led the conference and finished fifth in the FCS in passing efficiency with a 172.1 rating. Payton's 32 passing touchdowns were fourth most in the FCS.
Wide receiver Devron Harper set numerous records in addition to being named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Year by college football insider Phil Steele. Harper finished the season with a conference-leading 16 total touchdowns including 10 receiving, four rushing touchdowns, one kickoff return for a touchdown, and one punt return for a touchdown. He finished the season with 987 receiving yards. His 1,878 all-purpose yards set a school record and ranked fourth in the country.
Wide receiver Ty James was named First Team All-Conference by the coaches. He finished the season with 52 receptions for 1,105 yards and 13 touchdowns. He led the SoCon in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and yards per catch. His 1,105 receiving yards set a Mercer school record. In the last game of the season, James had a record-breaking day recording 13 receptions for 351 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His 351 receiving yards were the most by any FCS player during the 2022 regular season and also set the SoCon single game receiving yards record.
“Raise the Bar” continued to be reality for the Bears in Cronic’s second season in fall 2021. Mercer battled ETSU in the final regular reason game in which the outcome would determine the 2021 SoCon champion. Mercer (7-3, 6-2 SoCon) fell to ETSU (10-1, 7-1 SoCon) by a 38-35 score. The Bears were highlighted by a record-breaking receiving effort by Ty James, catching eight passes for 224 yards. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth thriller. ETSU tied things up early, but Mercer responded just a minute and a half later, when quarterback Fred Payton found James for a 48-yard touchdown pass to give Mercer a 35-28 lead. ETSU scored the final 10 points of the game to take the lead and claim the victory.
The Bears finished the regular season 6-2 in conference play, their best SoCon record in program history. Mercer earned its six conference wins over Furman (24-3), Samford (45-42), Western Carolina (34-24), Wofford (45-14), The Citadel (34-7) and Chattanooga (10-6). Mercer finished the season ranked no. 21 in the STATS Perform Poll. In Cronic’s offense, James has been rewriting the record books since coming to Macon. He currently owns the top three single game receiving yardage records at Mercer. His 224 yards against ETSU broke his old record, that he set last year against Furman, by 45 yards. The third highest total was set earlier this year against Wofford when he caught five passes for 153 yards.
Following the 2021 season, Mercer saw its first football player ever advance to the National Football League. Offensive lineman Jason Poe and the San Francisco 49ers came to an undrafted free agent deal almost immediately following the NFL draft in Las Vegas.
Mercer saw seven student-athletes earn 10 Southern Conference football postseason honors. Three Bears earned first team honors from both the coaches and media. Lance Wise, Solomon Zubairu and Jason Poe all received first team accolades.
The Bears saw 13 student-athletes earn 15 awards on the 2021 Phil Steele All-SoCon Team. Poe and Zubairu both earned first team honors.
Running back Fred Davis was named to the Phil Steele FCS All-American team. Davis was named a Freshman All-American, earning third team honors.
Mercer placed 16 student-athletes on the 2021 Fall Academic All-Southern Conference Team, including Barron King’s 4.0 grade-point-average. Players included: Clay Baker, Isaac Dowling, Devin Folser, Dylan Fromm, Danijah Gammage, Aidan Huggins, Ari Kamau, King, Zach Lassiter, Bryce Lawrence, Landon Miller, Carter Peevy, Drake Starks, Alvin Ward Jr., Jordan Williams and Al Wooten II.
In his first season at Mercer, Cronic led the Bears to their best Southern Conference season since joining the conference with five league wins, including three over ranked foes. He also guided the Bears to a No. 23 ranking in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll for Mercer's first appearance in the poll. Cronic's squad defeated No. 9 Chattanooga (35-28), No. 17 Furman (26-14) and No. 20 ETSU (21-13) in three consecutive weeks and at one point had a four-game winning streak in league play. Under Cronic's guidance, the SoCon Freshman of the Year, Carter Peevy, who took the reins under center prior to the start of the spring season, finished his first collegiate season ranked second in the conference in passing yards (1,318) while being third in completion percentage (54.3 pct.), passing efficiency (133.0) and passing touchdowns (8). In Mercer's win over No. 17 Furman, Peevy became the first quarterback in program history to throw for at least 400 yards in a single game with 406 yards through the air and two touchdowns. Peevy was just one of 11 Bears to earn All-SoCon postseason honors. Three Bears - Lance Wise, Solomon Zubairu and Isaac Dowling - headlined the list with a spot on the first team.
Zubairu wreaked havoc on opposing offenses and was one of the best players in the Southern Conference at generating negative plays. The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native led the conference with 10.5 tackles for loss, the second-most in the program's single-season history, and ranked third with 5.5 sacks. Dowling made an impact the first time he stepped on the gridiron wearing Mercer colors and in addition to All-SoCon honors he was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the FCS National Freshman of the Year and joined Ty James, Dowling and Wise as a HERO Sports All-American.
Off the field, defensive lineman Barron King was Cronic's first CoSIDA Academic All-District selection during his time at Mercer. King was one of four defensive linemen named to the Academic All-District IV squad.
A native of Sharpsburg, Georgia, Cronic is considered one of the more innovative offensive minds across all levels of college football. Driven by the motto “Raise the Bar,” he has posted a 47-6 record in four years as a head coach and has been named the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year all four seasons. He has also helped lead his teams to conference titles at Reinhardt (2016) and Lenoir-Rhyne (2018, 2019).
Cronic engineered one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football, taking Division II Lenoir-Rhyne from a 3-8 season in 2017 to a 25-3 record under his guidance the past two seasons. After being named the AFCA National Coach of the Year for the 2018 season, he led the Bears to a school record-tying 13 wins in 2019 and a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
LR carried a perfect season all the way to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 2019. Under his guidance, seven Bears were named All-Super Region 2, led by Regional Defensive Player of the Year Jaquan Artis. The team ranked in the top eight in Division II in both rushing offense and rushing defense at seventh and eighth, respectively. LR recorded 30 plus turnovers on the year for the second straight season and the defense recorded 50 sacks during the 2019 campaign, which led the nation.
In his first season at Lenoir-Rhyne, Cronic guided the largest turnaround in the nation – from just three wins in 2017 to 12 in 2018. The nine-game improvement was the sixth-greatest mark in NCAA Division II history. Cronic's Bears won 12 straight games and were ranked No. 8 in the final national poll.
During the 2018 season, LR advanced to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2014 and hosted a pair of playoff games for the first time since 2013. With a 43-21 win over Florida Tech, Lenoir-Rhyne advanced past the first round of the NCAA Playoffs for just the second time in program history and, after defeating Wingate, moved on to the quarterfinals.
After a successful career playing for coach Cronic, safety Kyle Dugger was drafted by the New England Patriots. Dugger utilized his athleticism during his senior year, at one point returning two punts for touchdowns within a seven-minute span against Virginia–Wise. For his play in his senior season in 2019, Dugger was awarded the Cliff Harris Award, given to the best small-school defensive player. Dugger also participated in the 2020 Senior Bowl, where scouts praised his field instincts.
Cronic's success did not come just on the field; he led a turnaround in the classroom as well. With his leadership, the Bears posted a team 3.0 grade-point-average for the first time in program history and Ronnie Clifton was named a Second Team Academic All-American. Clifton, Jonathan Nolan and Clayton Horn each earned Academic All-District distinctions. Clifton was the lone representative from the South Atlantic Conference to earn Academic All-American accolades.
Before his time at LR, Cronic was the Offensive Coordinator at Furman University. The Paladins were ranked as high as No. 22 in the nation and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Cronic spearheaded an offense that averaged 34 points a game and coached All-SoCon Second Team quarterback P.J. Blazeowski.
Before his second stint with Furman, Cronic coached at Reinhardt from 2012-16 and was instrumental in the startup of the program in November of 2011. For the first three seasons, Cronic served as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator for the Eagles before being named the head coach prior to the 2015 campaign.
Cronic directed Reinhardt to a nine-win 2015 season before a record-breaking year in 2016. The Eagles went 13-1, won the Mid-South Conference Championship and advanced to the NAIA National Quarterfinals. Reinhardt averaged 51.1 points per contest and totaled 550.6 yards of offense per game, ranking first in the nation in both categories.
The Eagles led the nation in rushing offense (360.0 ypg) and rushing touchdowns (71) while having the nation’s second highest passing efficiency (178.0) to go along with 25 touchdown passes. In addition, their defense finished second in the nation in points allowed (13.8 ppg) and sacks (46) and fifth in total defense at 283.5 yards per contest.
Cronic was twice named the Mid-South Conference West Division Coach of the Year and the AFCA NAIA Region I Coach of the Year. In 2016, Reinhardt produced 14 all-league picks and 24 academic all-conference honoree (both Mid-South Conference highs).
Cronic’s first stint at Furman lasted nine years (2002-10) as he served in several coaching roles including wide receivers, running backs, tight ends and recruiting coordinator. During his time there, the Paladins won a SoCon Title in 2004 and put together an 11-3 season in 2005, which ended with a trip to the national semifinals.
In 1999, Cronic began his coaching career after graduate school at James Madison where he served three seasons as receivers coach and assistant recruiting coordinator. The Dukes won the Atlantic 10 Championship in his first year and earned a bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs.
Cronic played quarterback for his father – Danny Cronic – at East Coweta High School before playing collegiately at Georgia. As a Bulldog, Cronic played wide receiver and was a member of the special teams – lettering twice and participated in the 1995 Peach Bowl and 1997 Outback Bowl.
Cronic received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from the University of Georgia in 1998 before earning his master’s degree in educational leadership in 1999 from the University of West Georgia.
Cronic and his wife, Amelia, have three sons: Noah, Elijah and Isaiah.
Updated: December 2023
In his third season as head coach at Mercer in 2022, the Bears (7-4, 5-3 SoCon) reached their highest ranking in school history at No. 11 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. Mercer had its most explosive and potent offense in program history. The Bears had the best scoring offense in the SoCon, averaging 38.2 points per game. Mercer's defense led the FCS in interceptions with 17 on the season. The Bears had 12 players named All-SoCon.
Several players set school records and career-highs during the 2022 season. Quarterback Fred Payton had the most prolific passing season of any quarterback in Mercer school history. Payton set the school record for single-season passing yards (3,019), passing yards in a game (514), single season passing touchdowns (32), and passing touchdowns in a game (5). He led the conference and finished fifth in the FCS in passing efficiency with a 172.1 rating. Payton's 32 passing touchdowns were fourth most in the FCS.
Wide receiver Devron Harper set numerous records in addition to being named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Year by college football insider Phil Steele. Harper finished the season with a conference-leading 16 total touchdowns including 10 receiving, four rushing touchdowns, one kickoff return for a touchdown, and one punt return for a touchdown. He finished the season with 987 receiving yards. His 1,878 all-purpose yards set a school record and ranked fourth in the country.
Wide receiver Ty James was named First Team All-Conference by the coaches. He finished the season with 52 receptions for 1,105 yards and 13 touchdowns. He led the SoCon in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and yards per catch. His 1,105 receiving yards set a Mercer school record. In the last game of the season, James had a record-breaking day recording 13 receptions for 351 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His 351 receiving yards were the most by any FCS player during the 2022 regular season and also set the SoCon single game receiving yards record.
“Raise the Bar” continued to be reality for the Bears in Cronic’s second season in fall 2021. Mercer battled ETSU in the final regular reason game in which the outcome would determine the 2021 SoCon champion. Mercer (7-3, 6-2 SoCon) fell to ETSU (10-1, 7-1 SoCon) by a 38-35 score. The Bears were highlighted by a record-breaking receiving effort by Ty James, catching eight passes for 224 yards. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth thriller. ETSU tied things up early, but Mercer responded just a minute and a half later, when quarterback Fred Payton found James for a 48-yard touchdown pass to give Mercer a 35-28 lead. ETSU scored the final 10 points of the game to take the lead and claim the victory.
The Bears finished the regular season 6-2 in conference play, their best SoCon record in program history. Mercer earned its six conference wins over Furman (24-3), Samford (45-42), Western Carolina (34-24), Wofford (45-14), The Citadel (34-7) and Chattanooga (10-6). Mercer finished the season ranked no. 21 in the STATS Perform Poll. In Cronic’s offense, James has been rewriting the record books since coming to Macon. He currently owns the top three single game receiving yardage records at Mercer. His 224 yards against ETSU broke his old record, that he set last year against Furman, by 45 yards. The third highest total was set earlier this year against Wofford when he caught five passes for 153 yards.
Following the 2021 season, Mercer saw its first football player ever advance to the National Football League. Offensive lineman Jason Poe and the San Francisco 49ers came to an undrafted free agent deal almost immediately following the NFL draft in Las Vegas.
Mercer saw seven student-athletes earn 10 Southern Conference football postseason honors. Three Bears earned first team honors from both the coaches and media. Lance Wise, Solomon Zubairu and Jason Poe all received first team accolades.
The Bears saw 13 student-athletes earn 15 awards on the 2021 Phil Steele All-SoCon Team. Poe and Zubairu both earned first team honors.
Running back Fred Davis was named to the Phil Steele FCS All-American team. Davis was named a Freshman All-American, earning third team honors.
Mercer placed 16 student-athletes on the 2021 Fall Academic All-Southern Conference Team, including Barron King’s 4.0 grade-point-average. Players included: Clay Baker, Isaac Dowling, Devin Folser, Dylan Fromm, Danijah Gammage, Aidan Huggins, Ari Kamau, King, Zach Lassiter, Bryce Lawrence, Landon Miller, Carter Peevy, Drake Starks, Alvin Ward Jr., Jordan Williams and Al Wooten II.
In his first season at Mercer, Cronic led the Bears to their best Southern Conference season since joining the conference with five league wins, including three over ranked foes. He also guided the Bears to a No. 23 ranking in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll for Mercer's first appearance in the poll. Cronic's squad defeated No. 9 Chattanooga (35-28), No. 17 Furman (26-14) and No. 20 ETSU (21-13) in three consecutive weeks and at one point had a four-game winning streak in league play. Under Cronic's guidance, the SoCon Freshman of the Year, Carter Peevy, who took the reins under center prior to the start of the spring season, finished his first collegiate season ranked second in the conference in passing yards (1,318) while being third in completion percentage (54.3 pct.), passing efficiency (133.0) and passing touchdowns (8). In Mercer's win over No. 17 Furman, Peevy became the first quarterback in program history to throw for at least 400 yards in a single game with 406 yards through the air and two touchdowns. Peevy was just one of 11 Bears to earn All-SoCon postseason honors. Three Bears - Lance Wise, Solomon Zubairu and Isaac Dowling - headlined the list with a spot on the first team.
Zubairu wreaked havoc on opposing offenses and was one of the best players in the Southern Conference at generating negative plays. The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native led the conference with 10.5 tackles for loss, the second-most in the program's single-season history, and ranked third with 5.5 sacks. Dowling made an impact the first time he stepped on the gridiron wearing Mercer colors and in addition to All-SoCon honors he was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the FCS National Freshman of the Year and joined Ty James, Dowling and Wise as a HERO Sports All-American.
Off the field, defensive lineman Barron King was Cronic's first CoSIDA Academic All-District selection during his time at Mercer. King was one of four defensive linemen named to the Academic All-District IV squad.
A native of Sharpsburg, Georgia, Cronic is considered one of the more innovative offensive minds across all levels of college football. Driven by the motto “Raise the Bar,” he has posted a 47-6 record in four years as a head coach and has been named the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year all four seasons. He has also helped lead his teams to conference titles at Reinhardt (2016) and Lenoir-Rhyne (2018, 2019).
Cronic engineered one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football, taking Division II Lenoir-Rhyne from a 3-8 season in 2017 to a 25-3 record under his guidance the past two seasons. After being named the AFCA National Coach of the Year for the 2018 season, he led the Bears to a school record-tying 13 wins in 2019 and a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
LR carried a perfect season all the way to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 2019. Under his guidance, seven Bears were named All-Super Region 2, led by Regional Defensive Player of the Year Jaquan Artis. The team ranked in the top eight in Division II in both rushing offense and rushing defense at seventh and eighth, respectively. LR recorded 30 plus turnovers on the year for the second straight season and the defense recorded 50 sacks during the 2019 campaign, which led the nation.
In his first season at Lenoir-Rhyne, Cronic guided the largest turnaround in the nation – from just three wins in 2017 to 12 in 2018. The nine-game improvement was the sixth-greatest mark in NCAA Division II history. Cronic's Bears won 12 straight games and were ranked No. 8 in the final national poll.
During the 2018 season, LR advanced to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2014 and hosted a pair of playoff games for the first time since 2013. With a 43-21 win over Florida Tech, Lenoir-Rhyne advanced past the first round of the NCAA Playoffs for just the second time in program history and, after defeating Wingate, moved on to the quarterfinals.
After a successful career playing for coach Cronic, safety Kyle Dugger was drafted by the New England Patriots. Dugger utilized his athleticism during his senior year, at one point returning two punts for touchdowns within a seven-minute span against Virginia–Wise. For his play in his senior season in 2019, Dugger was awarded the Cliff Harris Award, given to the best small-school defensive player. Dugger also participated in the 2020 Senior Bowl, where scouts praised his field instincts.
Cronic's success did not come just on the field; he led a turnaround in the classroom as well. With his leadership, the Bears posted a team 3.0 grade-point-average for the first time in program history and Ronnie Clifton was named a Second Team Academic All-American. Clifton, Jonathan Nolan and Clayton Horn each earned Academic All-District distinctions. Clifton was the lone representative from the South Atlantic Conference to earn Academic All-American accolades.
Before his time at LR, Cronic was the Offensive Coordinator at Furman University. The Paladins were ranked as high as No. 22 in the nation and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Cronic spearheaded an offense that averaged 34 points a game and coached All-SoCon Second Team quarterback P.J. Blazeowski.
Before his second stint with Furman, Cronic coached at Reinhardt from 2012-16 and was instrumental in the startup of the program in November of 2011. For the first three seasons, Cronic served as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator for the Eagles before being named the head coach prior to the 2015 campaign.
Cronic directed Reinhardt to a nine-win 2015 season before a record-breaking year in 2016. The Eagles went 13-1, won the Mid-South Conference Championship and advanced to the NAIA National Quarterfinals. Reinhardt averaged 51.1 points per contest and totaled 550.6 yards of offense per game, ranking first in the nation in both categories.
The Eagles led the nation in rushing offense (360.0 ypg) and rushing touchdowns (71) while having the nation’s second highest passing efficiency (178.0) to go along with 25 touchdown passes. In addition, their defense finished second in the nation in points allowed (13.8 ppg) and sacks (46) and fifth in total defense at 283.5 yards per contest.
Cronic was twice named the Mid-South Conference West Division Coach of the Year and the AFCA NAIA Region I Coach of the Year. In 2016, Reinhardt produced 14 all-league picks and 24 academic all-conference honoree (both Mid-South Conference highs).
Cronic’s first stint at Furman lasted nine years (2002-10) as he served in several coaching roles including wide receivers, running backs, tight ends and recruiting coordinator. During his time there, the Paladins won a SoCon Title in 2004 and put together an 11-3 season in 2005, which ended with a trip to the national semifinals.
In 1999, Cronic began his coaching career after graduate school at James Madison where he served three seasons as receivers coach and assistant recruiting coordinator. The Dukes won the Atlantic 10 Championship in his first year and earned a bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs.
Cronic played quarterback for his father – Danny Cronic – at East Coweta High School before playing collegiately at Georgia. As a Bulldog, Cronic played wide receiver and was a member of the special teams – lettering twice and participated in the 1995 Peach Bowl and 1997 Outback Bowl.
Cronic received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from the University of Georgia in 1998 before earning his master’s degree in educational leadership in 1999 from the University of West Georgia.
Cronic and his wife, Amelia, have three sons: Noah, Elijah and Isaiah.
| THE CRONIC FILE | |
| Coaching Experience | |
| 1999-01 | James Madison (Assistant Coach/Running Backs) |
| 2002-10 | Furman (Assistant Coach/Wide Receivers, Running Backs, Tight Ends) |
| 2011-14 | Reinhardt (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator) |
| 2015-16 | Reinhardt (Head Coach) |
| 2017 | Furman (Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator) |
| 2018-19 | Lenoir-Rhyne (Head Coach) |
| 2020-Present | Mercer (Head Coach) |
| Playing Experience | |
| Played four seasons (1993-96) at Georgia in the wide receiver rotation. | |
| Education | |
| Bachelor's degree in mathematics education (Georgia, 1997); Master's degree in educational leadership (West Georgia, 1999) | |
HEAD COACHING RECORD
| Season | Team | Overall | Pct. | Conference | Pct. | Postseason |
| Reinhardt Eagles (NAIA - Mid-South Conference) | ||||||
| 2015 | Reinhardt | 9-2 | .818 | 4-1 | .800 | NAIA Playoffs; Mid-South West Champs |
| 2016 | Reinhardt | 13-1 | .929 | 5-0 | 1.000 | NAIA Semifinals; Mid-South West Champs |
| Reinhardt | 22-3 | .880 | 9-1 | .900 | ||
| Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (NCAA II - South Atlantic Conference) | ||||||
| 2018 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 12-2 | .857 | 7-0 | 1.000 | NCAA II Quarterfinals; SAC Champions |
| 2019 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 13-1 | .929 | 8-0 | 1.000 | NCAA II Quarterfinals; SAC Champions |
| Lenoir-Rhyne | 25-3 | .893 | 15-0 | 1.000 | ||
| Mercer Bears (Southern Conference) | ||||||
| 2020-21 | Mercer | 5-6 | .455 | 5-3 | .625 | |
| 2021 | Mercer | 7-3 | .700 | 6-2 | .750 | |
| 2022 | Mercer | 7-4 | .636 | 5-3 | .625 | |
| 2023 | Mercer | 9-4 | .692 | 6-2 | .750 | FCS Playoffs, 2nd Round |
| Mercer | 28-17 | .622 | 22-10 | .688 | ||
| Totals | 75-23 | .765 | 46-11 | .807 | ||
Updated: December 2023
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