Mercer Names Joel Taylor As Football Head Coach

MACON – Athletics department officials at Mercer University announced Thursday morning that 21-year collegiate coaching veteran Joel Taylor has been named as the football program's 22^nd head coach.

Taylor, who led West Georgia to a dozen victories in the program's first two seasons at the NCAA Division I FCS level, returns to Mercer after serving as the defensive coordinator for the Bears from 2020-23. He is fresh off of an 8-win campaign in 2024 that garnered him both United Athletic Conference and American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year accolades.

"We are thrilled to welcome Joel Taylor back to Mercer as our head football coach," said Director of Athletics Jim Cole. "Joel is one of the brightest leaders in college football. He is a tremendous teacher, a man of integrity and someone who pours into young people. What truly sets Joel apart is his vision for building a championship program grounded in culture, character, and purpose. We are excited to welcome Joel and Mechelle back to the Mercer community."

West Georgia showcased an offense that tacked up more than 355 yards of total offense per game, while yielding just 122.9 rushing yards and 21.2 points an outing, on the way to an 8-3 campaign in 2025, doubling the program's win total from his first year at the helm. The Wolves won each of their first five games in 2025, including victories over Southern Conference foes Samford and East Tennessee State, and climbed as high as No. 16 in both the AFCA and Stats Perform national rankings. The early-season winning skein also included a dominant 34-10 road triumph over then-No. 22 Nicholls.

Prior to trekking to Carrollton, Ga., Taylor constructed a dominant defensive unit in Macon from 2020-23 – one that helped the Bears register 28 victories, including a 9-4 mark in 2023 that culminated with the program's first berth into the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Mercer yielded just 142.1 rushing yards and 24.7 points per game in 45 games with Taylor as defensive coordinator, and boasted one of the nation's top total defenses in both the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. The 2022 squad also paced all 126 FCS squads with 17 interceptions as well.

"Mercer is a place that has meant a great deal to my family and I," Taylor said. "We are incredibly grateful for the chance to come home. This University, this community and this football program have played an important role in my coaching journey. Mercer is built on excellence academically, athletically, and personally, and I am honored to lead these young men as we pursue championships and continue the momentum that has been established. I am excited to get to work."

Defensive success has followed Taylor throughout each step of his storied coaching career. In 2019, he engineered a defense at Lenoir-Rhyne that registered an NCAA Division II-best 50 sacks, while also forcing 31 turnovers and limiting opponents to just 17.4 points per game. The Bears tallied a 13-1 record on the way to an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals where they dropped a five-point decision to eventual national champion West Florida.

Taylor has stints on the coaching staffs at three other institutions as well, including one as the defensive backs coach for The Citadel from 2014-18. The Bulldogs compiled a 29-19 mark with Taylor roaming the sidelines, including back-to-back SoCon championships in 2015 and 2016. The Citadel picked off 20 passes (3^rd FCS) in 2016 on the way to its second-straight appearance in the NCAA postseason, as well as a No. 9 ranking in the final national polls.

He opened up his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, South Carolina State, for the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, before accepting a full-time role as the defensive backs coach during the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Taylor kickstarted his collegiate career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, South Carolina State, for the 2005 and 2006 seasons before diving into a full time role as the defensive backs coach for the Bulldogs for the 2007 and 2008 campaigns. He exited Orangeburg, S.C., briefly to coach the defensive ends and outside linebackers at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2009, but returned to his role as defensive backs coach at SC State from 2010-13. He was a part of three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships (2008, 2010, 2013) and as many NCAA Playoff Appearances in his time at South Carolina State, and added an NCAA Division II Playoff Appearance at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2009.

Taylor had a very productive career as a defensive back at SC State, reaping several honors across his four year (2001-04) career in the Red & Blue. A four-year letterwinner, he served as team captain on the way to defensive most valuable player honors as a senior in 2004, and was a starter in the secondary for the 2003 Bulldog squad that led the nation in pass efficiency defense.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Taylor was raised in Irmo, S.C., where he was a standout at Irmo High School from 1996 to 1999. He earned his bachelor's degree in computer science at South Carolina State in 2004, and completed his graduate work in rehabilitation counseling at SC State in 2008. He is married to the former Mechelle Robertson.

Mercer University Athletics

Mercer Names Joel Taylor As Football Head Coach

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