Cronic Finalizes Coaching Staff for 2020 Season
1/29/2020 9:30:00 AM | Football
Seven new coaches join the Mercer football staff for the upcoming season
MACON, Ga. – First-year Mercer Bears head coach Drew Cronic has finalized his coaching staff for the 2020 football season. Cronic announced the addition of seven coaches – David A. Cole, Mike Adams, Sumner Ellis, La'Donte Harris, Jimmy Long, Kevin O'Brien and John Russ. Five of the seven individuals have previous ties to either Cronic or Mercer University.
This announcement comes following the hires of Bob Bodine (Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line Coach), Tim Foster (Co-Offensive Coordinator) and Joel Taylor (Defensive Coordinator). Below is information on each of the seven additions announced today.Â
David A. Cole – Associate Head Coach/Cornerbacks/Special Teams
Cole will be the Associate Head Coach while also coaching cornerbacks and special teams for the Bears, the same position he held on Cronic's staff at NCAA Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. Cole spent a total of four seasons in Hickory, N.C. with the L-R Bears, including the last two years with Coach Cronic. Cole mentored an explosive special teams' unit in 2018 that featured return man Kyle Dugger. Dugger became the first player in Lenoir-Rhyne history to return two punts for a touchdown in the same game and earned D2football.com Special Teams Player of the Week honors following that performance.
Prior to Lenoir-Rhyne, Cole was the safeties coach at California (Pa.) University where he coached 10 First-Team All-Conference selections, four AFCA All-Americans and seven players who took their talents to the next level and spent time in the National Football League.
Mike Adams – Safeties Coach/Pass Game Coordinator
Adams was originally hired in January of 2019 and was retained by Cronic this winter. After serving as the Defensive Coordinator and Inside Linebackers coach for the Bears in 2019, he will transition to a new role of Safety's Coach and Pass Game Coordinator.
Mercer is Adams' sixth NCAA Division I coaching stop and fourth in the Southeastern United States. Prior to Mercer, he was Safeties Coach and Special Teams Coordinator at Charleston Southern for three seasons. Under his guidance in 2018, the Bucs defense ranked fourth in the Football Championship Series (FCS) in passing yards allowed.
Sumner Ellis – Defensive End Coach/Defensive Recruiting Coordinator
Ellis spent the past two seasons at Presbyterian College. Ellis was the coached linebackers for the Blue Hose but will coach defensive ends at Mercer while handling defensive recruiting duties.
Prior to Mercer and Presbyterian, Ellis was a Graduate Assistant Coach at Georgia Southern in 2016. He made a pair of stops at Georgia high schools – coaching at Central High Scholl in Carrolton from 2011-15 and Villa Rica High School in 2017.
La'Donte Harris – Wide Receivers Coach/Offensive Recruiting Coordinator
Harris will begin his third season as a Mercer Bear when the 2020 season kicks off. He will serve as Wide Receivers Coach and Offensive Recruiting Coordinator. Harris began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Clemson Tigers following a four-year playing career at the Atlantic Coast Conference school.
In 2018, he mentored a pair of standout receivers – senior Marquise Irvin and freshman David Durden. Irvin finished his time in a Mercer uniform as a three-time All-SoCon selection and is the school's leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Durden enjoyed a breakout freshman season that ended with HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-America Honorable Mention accolades.
Jimmy Long – Defensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator
Long most recently spent two years with Coach Cronic at Lenoir-Rhyne as the Defensive Line Coach and added Defensive Run Game Coordinator duties last season. In 2018, Long mentored First-Team All-Conference selection Dan Louba who finished the season with 62 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss.
Prior to his time at L-R, Long was a Graduate Assistant Defensive Line Coach at North Carolina State University where he coached Bradley Chubb, the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, Nagurski Trophy Winner and First Round draft pick of the Denver Broncos (5th overall).
Kevin O'Brien – Tight Ends Coach
O'Brien comes to Mercer from the University of Tennessee where he served as a quality control analyst. Prior to his time as Vol, O'Brien was a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Colorado State. There he primarily worked with the offense for two seasons. As a player, O'Brien appeared in 22 games, including starting at center as a junior and leading the Rams to a 10-3 record. O'Brien and the Rams' offensive line helped the team surpass 670 yards on two occasions. O'Brien spent one season at Incarnate Word before transferring to CSU.
John Russ – Running Backs Coach
Former Mercer quarterback (2013-16) John Russ returns to campus as the Running Backs Coach. The 2016 FCS Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player got his collegiate coaching start at Georgia State University when he was named a graduate assistant in the summer of 2017. Now, the Buford, Ga. and Mil Creek High School product returns to the sidelines of his alma mater in a different role. Russ will no longer don a uniform on gamedays but rather coaching attire as he leads the Bears' running backs unit. Â
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Players Mentioned
