Xavier Jennings Earns Spot On Academic All-America Team
1/27/2026 12:00:00 PM | Football
MACON – Mercer offensive lineman Xavier Jennings put an emphatic cap on his illustrious collegiate career on Tuesday when the Shelby, N.C., native earned a spot on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America squad.
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The Academic All-America® program, selected by College Sports Communicators, is the longest-running and most prestigious academic and athletic award for student-athletes. All nominees must have a grade point average of 3.5 or above and be a starter or important reserve. The laurel is widely considered to be the most prestigious academic honor that can be bestowed upon a collegiate student-athlete.
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Jennings is the 23rd student-athlete in the history of Mercer Athletics to be named to the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-America squad, and just the fourth football player to log the accolade. Tee Mitchell (2015), Jack Raines (2019) and Riley Adcock (2024) previously received the honor.
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An all-American pick by FCS Football Central (SI) in December, Jennings was also named the first team All-Southern Conference squad after not allowing a sack in 858 offensive snaps in 2025. He graded out at or near 80 percent in six contests, and finished as the nation's top pass-blocking offensive tackle with a grade of 89.6 percent (PFF). He also ranked fifth among the nation's top offensive tackles with an overall grade of 78.2 percent.
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Jennings maintained a 3.83 cumulative grade point average en route to earning his bachelor's degree from Lenoir-Rhyne in Spring 2024. He completed his MBA at Mercer last month while carrying a 3.81 GPA. He was one of two (Jordan Swain) Mercer student-athletes to earn a spot on the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team earlier this month.
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The Academic All-America® program, selected by College Sports Communicators, is the longest-running and most prestigious academic and athletic award for student-athletes. All nominees must have a grade point average of 3.5 or above and be a starter or important reserve. The laurel is widely considered to be the most prestigious academic honor that can be bestowed upon a collegiate student-athlete.
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Jennings is the 23rd student-athlete in the history of Mercer Athletics to be named to the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-America squad, and just the fourth football player to log the accolade. Tee Mitchell (2015), Jack Raines (2019) and Riley Adcock (2024) previously received the honor.
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An all-American pick by FCS Football Central (SI) in December, Jennings was also named the first team All-Southern Conference squad after not allowing a sack in 858 offensive snaps in 2025. He graded out at or near 80 percent in six contests, and finished as the nation's top pass-blocking offensive tackle with a grade of 89.6 percent (PFF). He also ranked fifth among the nation's top offensive tackles with an overall grade of 78.2 percent.
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Jennings maintained a 3.83 cumulative grade point average en route to earning his bachelor's degree from Lenoir-Rhyne in Spring 2024. He completed his MBA at Mercer last month while carrying a 3.81 GPA. He was one of two (Jordan Swain) Mercer student-athletes to earn a spot on the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team earlier this month.
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