Football
Bodine, Bob
Bob Bodine
- Title:
- Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line
- Alma Mater:
- Tulane, 1993
- Office Phone:
- (478) 301-2818
- Email:
- bodine_rm@mercer.edu
Bob Bodine finished his third year as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Mercer in 2022. In 2022, Bodine guided one of the most prolific offenses in school history. The Bears scored 420 points on the season, the second most in a season in program history, behind only the 2013 season, when the Bears scored 459 points. Mercer led the SoCon in scoring offense, averaging 38.2 points per game. The Bears set the school record for average yards per game in a season, at 470.5 yards per game.
Mercer scored at least 40 points in all seven of its wins during the 2022 season. In a season-opening 63-13 win over Morehead State, Mercer's 63 points were the second most points scored in a game in school history. In the same game, the Bears' offense also broke the school record for total yards in a game with 625 total yards of offense.
Several offensive players set personal and school records under Bodine's offensive system in 2022. Quarterback Fred Payton saw great improvement from his junior to senior season under coach Bodine, improving his touchdown passes from 12 to 32 from his junior to senior season. Payton statistically had the best season of any quarterback in Mercer history. He 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). Payton threw for at least two touchdowns in all 11 games this season. Payton had thrown 20 passing touchdowns before he threw his first interception of the season. 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 receivers Devron Harper and Ty James each were named First Team All-SoCon during their record-breaking seasons. Harper finished the season with a conference leading 16 total touchdowns. Harper's 78 receptions on the season blew away the previous school record of 65. He had 1,878 all-purpose yards breaking the school record and ranking fourth in the FCS. James had a record-breaking performance in the final 2022 regular season game at Samford as he caught a personal best 13 receptions for a SoCon single game record 351 receiving yards along with two receiving touchdowns. For the season James caught 52 passes for a school record 1,105 yards and led the SoCon with 13 receiving touchdowns.
In the 2021 season the Bears had a balanced attack, rushing for an average of 209 yards a game and passing for 200. The Bears averaged almost 32 points a game. With those outstanding numbers, Mercer was in a position to play ETSU in the final regular season game that would determine the Southern Conference championship.
Bodine developed Jason Poe into one of the premier offensive linemen in the country. He was featured on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks of College Athletics list. Poe became the first-ever Mercer football player to join an NFL team. Poe and the San Francisco 49ers came to an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.
In year one with the Bears, Bodine helped the team win five contests - all in Southern Conference action - with three wins coming over ranked foes. The Bears' offense made positive strides in the spring as quarterback Carter Peevy took over under center. Peevy, a true freshman in 2020-21, 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, the freshman signal caller 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.
Offensively, the Bears averaged 167.6 yards per game on the ground and 165.5 through the air, in large part thanks to play of the men up front - Bodine's offensive line. Mercer ranked fifth in the Southern Conference in total offense (333.0 per game) and had the fourth-best scoring offense in the league with an average of 24.1 points per game.
Bodine spent the two seasons prior to arriving in Macon as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach under Cronic at Lenoir-Rhyne, helping lead the Bears to an impressive 25-3 record and back-to-back South Atlantic Conference championships.
Bodine guided LR to a top 20 ranking nationally in passing yards per completion (15.43) which aided the top scoring offense in the SAC at 42.0 points per game. Overall, the 2019 season was one for the record books for the Bears, tying a school record with 13 wins and advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Bears rushing offense ranked seventh in the NCAA in 2019 as they averaged 269.0 yards per game. Besides rushing, Lenoir-Rhyne ranked 11th in the nation in team passing efficiency (162.6). With Bodine guiding the offense, Ameen Stevens finished the season with 17 rushing touchdowns, the sixth-best mark in the NCAA. The Bears offensive success started with the AP Second Team All-American Jason Poe. Poe was named the SAC Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner for the second straight season.
In his first year as the offensive coordinator at Lenoir-Rhyne, the Bears offense ranked ninth in the nation in points per game, averaging 41 per contest in 2018. The Bears scored 574 points that broke the program record.
The Bears ranked 10th in the nation in rushing yards per game and topped 50 points in a game on four different occasions. Lenoir-Rhyne ranked among the best in the league in sacks allowed, giving up just 19 sacks in 14 games. The Bears owned a 12-game winning streak and went a perfect 7-0 at home and 7-0 in SAC play.
A lot of the Bears' success had to do with Bodine's offensive line that produced the league's Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner in Poe. On top of being named the best offensive lineman in the league, Poe earned First Team All-Region and was named to the Don Hansen Second Team All-American squad. Offensive tackle Ronnie Clifton was named a Second Team Academic All-American and earned the SAC Elite 20 award given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA in the sport across all conference players.
At Army, Bodine spearheaded a Black Knights' rushing attack that ranked second in the nation (327.8 ypg) and helped the Black Knights defeat Navy for the first time in 14 years. The 2014 Army squad ranked fifth in the nation in rushing offense (296.5 yards per game).
Bodine began his coaching career at his alma mater, Tulane University, as a graduate assistant. While at Tulane, he worked with the offensive line and long snappers. He then accepted a position at Georgia Southern where he first had the opportunity to work with Jeff Monken. During his six seasons with the Eagles, Bodine coached the outside linebackers, wide receivers and slot backs. Following Georgia Southern, Bodine then moved to Jackson State as the offensive line coach and then on to Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach as the slotbacks coach and recruiting coordinator.
Bodine earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Tulane University in 1993, where he was a three-year letter winner and two-year starter as an offensive guard for the Green Wave.
Bodine and his wife, Joy, are the parents of twins: Gabriel (Jake) and Gracie.
Collegiate Coaching Timeline
Mercer scored at least 40 points in all seven of its wins during the 2022 season. In a season-opening 63-13 win over Morehead State, Mercer's 63 points were the second most points scored in a game in school history. In the same game, the Bears' offense also broke the school record for total yards in a game with 625 total yards of offense.
Several offensive players set personal and school records under Bodine's offensive system in 2022. Quarterback Fred Payton saw great improvement from his junior to senior season under coach Bodine, improving his touchdown passes from 12 to 32 from his junior to senior season. Payton statistically had the best season of any quarterback in Mercer history. He 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). Payton threw for at least two touchdowns in all 11 games this season. Payton had thrown 20 passing touchdowns before he threw his first interception of the season. 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 receivers Devron Harper and Ty James each were named First Team All-SoCon during their record-breaking seasons. Harper finished the season with a conference leading 16 total touchdowns. Harper's 78 receptions on the season blew away the previous school record of 65. He had 1,878 all-purpose yards breaking the school record and ranking fourth in the FCS. James had a record-breaking performance in the final 2022 regular season game at Samford as he caught a personal best 13 receptions for a SoCon single game record 351 receiving yards along with two receiving touchdowns. For the season James caught 52 passes for a school record 1,105 yards and led the SoCon with 13 receiving touchdowns.
In the 2021 season the Bears had a balanced attack, rushing for an average of 209 yards a game and passing for 200. The Bears averaged almost 32 points a game. With those outstanding numbers, Mercer was in a position to play ETSU in the final regular season game that would determine the Southern Conference championship.
Bodine developed Jason Poe into one of the premier offensive linemen in the country. He was featured on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks of College Athletics list. Poe became the first-ever Mercer football player to join an NFL team. Poe and the San Francisco 49ers came to an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.
In year one with the Bears, Bodine helped the team win five contests - all in Southern Conference action - with three wins coming over ranked foes. The Bears' offense made positive strides in the spring as quarterback Carter Peevy took over under center. Peevy, a true freshman in 2020-21, 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, the freshman signal caller 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.
Offensively, the Bears averaged 167.6 yards per game on the ground and 165.5 through the air, in large part thanks to play of the men up front - Bodine's offensive line. Mercer ranked fifth in the Southern Conference in total offense (333.0 per game) and had the fourth-best scoring offense in the league with an average of 24.1 points per game.
Bodine spent the two seasons prior to arriving in Macon as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach under Cronic at Lenoir-Rhyne, helping lead the Bears to an impressive 25-3 record and back-to-back South Atlantic Conference championships.
Bodine guided LR to a top 20 ranking nationally in passing yards per completion (15.43) which aided the top scoring offense in the SAC at 42.0 points per game. Overall, the 2019 season was one for the record books for the Bears, tying a school record with 13 wins and advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Bears rushing offense ranked seventh in the NCAA in 2019 as they averaged 269.0 yards per game. Besides rushing, Lenoir-Rhyne ranked 11th in the nation in team passing efficiency (162.6). With Bodine guiding the offense, Ameen Stevens finished the season with 17 rushing touchdowns, the sixth-best mark in the NCAA. The Bears offensive success started with the AP Second Team All-American Jason Poe. Poe was named the SAC Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner for the second straight season.
In his first year as the offensive coordinator at Lenoir-Rhyne, the Bears offense ranked ninth in the nation in points per game, averaging 41 per contest in 2018. The Bears scored 574 points that broke the program record.
The Bears ranked 10th in the nation in rushing yards per game and topped 50 points in a game on four different occasions. Lenoir-Rhyne ranked among the best in the league in sacks allowed, giving up just 19 sacks in 14 games. The Bears owned a 12-game winning streak and went a perfect 7-0 at home and 7-0 in SAC play.
A lot of the Bears' success had to do with Bodine's offensive line that produced the league's Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner in Poe. On top of being named the best offensive lineman in the league, Poe earned First Team All-Region and was named to the Don Hansen Second Team All-American squad. Offensive tackle Ronnie Clifton was named a Second Team Academic All-American and earned the SAC Elite 20 award given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA in the sport across all conference players.
At Army, Bodine spearheaded a Black Knights' rushing attack that ranked second in the nation (327.8 ypg) and helped the Black Knights defeat Navy for the first time in 14 years. The 2014 Army squad ranked fifth in the nation in rushing offense (296.5 yards per game).
Bodine began his coaching career at his alma mater, Tulane University, as a graduate assistant. While at Tulane, he worked with the offensive line and long snappers. He then accepted a position at Georgia Southern where he first had the opportunity to work with Jeff Monken. During his six seasons with the Eagles, Bodine coached the outside linebackers, wide receivers and slot backs. Following Georgia Southern, Bodine then moved to Jackson State as the offensive line coach and then on to Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach as the slotbacks coach and recruiting coordinator.
Bodine earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Tulane University in 1993, where he was a three-year letter winner and two-year starter as an offensive guard for the Green Wave.
Bodine and his wife, Joy, are the parents of twins: Gabriel (Jake) and Gracie.
Collegiate Coaching Timeline
- 2020-Pres. – Mercer University
- Co-Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line Coach
- 2018-2019 – Lenoir-Rhyne University
- Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line Coach
- 2017 – Georgia Southern
- Offensive Line Coach
- 2014-16 – Army West Point
- Offensive Line / Tight Ends
- 2010-13 – The Citadel
- Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line Coach
- 2006-09 – Virginia Military Institute
- Offensive Line Coach
- 2005 – Bethune – Cookman
- Slot Backs / Recruiting Coordinator
- 2003-04 – Jackson State
- Offensive Line Coach
- 1999-02 – Georgia Southern
- Slot Backs (02) / receivers (00-01) / Outside Linebackers (99)
- 1997-98 – Georgia Southern
- Graduate Assistant
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