Football
Dustin Royston
- Title:
- Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
- Alma Mater:
- Georgia, 2013
- Office Phone:
- (478) 301-2713
- Email:
- royston_d@mercer.edu
A 12-year coaching veteran with previous stops at four other collegiate institutions, Dustin Royston begins his first season at Mercer in 2026-27 as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Bears. He spent the 2025 season as the outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Wofford.
A Peach State native, Royston has logged a dozen bowl appearances as both a player and coach across his already-illustrious career, and was named to the 247Sports.com "30 Under 30" listing in 2022 which recognizes coaches who have made a “rapid ascent in the world of college football, while also underscoring their significant impact on the game.”
Royston’s outside linebackers unit played an integral role in the overall success of a Wofford defense that boasted the Southern Conference’s top total defense (350.8 yards/game allowed), while also ranking among the nation’s top 10 teams in six other defensive statistical categories - defensive touchdowns (5), interceptions (15), rushing defense (106.1 yards allowed/game), scoring defense (17.3 points/game allowed) and tackles for loss (8.3/game). He also oversaw a quartet of special teams squads (kickoff return defense, kickoff return, punt return defense, punt return) that all earned a spot among the nation’s top 33 teams, including three (kickoff return defense, punt return defense, punt return) that paced the SoCon, as the Terriers finished second among FCS in special teams efficiency.
Prior to venturing to Spartanburg, S.C., Royston spent eight seasons at NCAA FBS G6 schools, including a seven-year stay on the staff at Middle Tennessee where he took on a bevy of defensive coaching roles (linebackers, defensive ends, defensive line), as well as recruiting and special teams coordinator stints. The Blue Raiders churned out 41 victories with Royston on the sidelines, while also making four bowl appearances (three wins). Middle Tennessee yielded just more than 150 yards per game on the ground across his 86-game stay in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and, thrice, boasted one of the top 38 defenses among the NCAA’s 130 FBS squads. The Blue Raiders also toppled then-No. 25 Miami, 45-31, to record the program's first-ever win over a Top 25 team on Sept. 24, 2022.
Royston lifted the lid on his coaching career on the prep level in 2014 as the inside linebackers coach at Cane Ridge High School in Nashville, Tenn., where he helped lead the Ravens to an appearance in the state playoffs. He ventured to Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2015 where he was a part of two Southeastern Conference championships, as well as a pair of appearances in the national title game (one national championship) as an outside linebackers quality control coach for Alabama.
Royston, whose father coached high school football in the state of Georgia for 35 years, played four seasons (2009-12) in the fullback rotation at Georgia under head coach Mark Richt and was a part of 36 victories, two Southeastern Conference East Division titles and four bowl appearances across his collegiate career in Athens. He earned a pair of team awards amid his collegiate career, including UGA’s 2012 Iron Man Award.
Royston earned bachelor’s degrees in both political science and international affairs from Georgia in 2012, and completed his graduate work in education instructional practice from Lipscomb in 2014. Dustin and his fiancee, Emma McKinney, are set to be married in July 2026.
A Peach State native, Royston has logged a dozen bowl appearances as both a player and coach across his already-illustrious career, and was named to the 247Sports.com "30 Under 30" listing in 2022 which recognizes coaches who have made a “rapid ascent in the world of college football, while also underscoring their significant impact on the game.”
Royston’s outside linebackers unit played an integral role in the overall success of a Wofford defense that boasted the Southern Conference’s top total defense (350.8 yards/game allowed), while also ranking among the nation’s top 10 teams in six other defensive statistical categories - defensive touchdowns (5), interceptions (15), rushing defense (106.1 yards allowed/game), scoring defense (17.3 points/game allowed) and tackles for loss (8.3/game). He also oversaw a quartet of special teams squads (kickoff return defense, kickoff return, punt return defense, punt return) that all earned a spot among the nation’s top 33 teams, including three (kickoff return defense, punt return defense, punt return) that paced the SoCon, as the Terriers finished second among FCS in special teams efficiency.
Prior to venturing to Spartanburg, S.C., Royston spent eight seasons at NCAA FBS G6 schools, including a seven-year stay on the staff at Middle Tennessee where he took on a bevy of defensive coaching roles (linebackers, defensive ends, defensive line), as well as recruiting and special teams coordinator stints. The Blue Raiders churned out 41 victories with Royston on the sidelines, while also making four bowl appearances (three wins). Middle Tennessee yielded just more than 150 yards per game on the ground across his 86-game stay in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and, thrice, boasted one of the top 38 defenses among the NCAA’s 130 FBS squads. The Blue Raiders also toppled then-No. 25 Miami, 45-31, to record the program's first-ever win over a Top 25 team on Sept. 24, 2022.
Royston lifted the lid on his coaching career on the prep level in 2014 as the inside linebackers coach at Cane Ridge High School in Nashville, Tenn., where he helped lead the Ravens to an appearance in the state playoffs. He ventured to Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2015 where he was a part of two Southeastern Conference championships, as well as a pair of appearances in the national title game (one national championship) as an outside linebackers quality control coach for Alabama.
Royston, whose father coached high school football in the state of Georgia for 35 years, played four seasons (2009-12) in the fullback rotation at Georgia under head coach Mark Richt and was a part of 36 victories, two Southeastern Conference East Division titles and four bowl appearances across his collegiate career in Athens. He earned a pair of team awards amid his collegiate career, including UGA’s 2012 Iron Man Award.
Royston earned bachelor’s degrees in both political science and international affairs from Georgia in 2012, and completed his graduate work in education instructional practice from Lipscomb in 2014. Dustin and his fiancee, Emma McKinney, are set to be married in July 2026.
| THE ROYSTON FILE | |
| Coaching Experience | |
| 2014 | Cane Ridge (Tenn.) HS (Assistant Coach/Inside Linebackers) |
| 2015-16 | Alabama (Outside Linebackers Quality Control Coach) |
| 2017 | Middle Tennessee (Graduate Assistant Coach/Defense) |
| 2018-21 | Middle Tennessee (Co-Defensive Line Coach, Recruiting Coordinator) |
| 2022-23 | Middle Tennessee (Assistant Coach/Linebackers, Special Teams Coordinator) |
| 2024 | Murray State (Assistant Coach/Linebackers) |
| 2025 | Wofford (Assistant Coach/Outside Linebackers, Special Teams Coordinator) |
| 2026-Present | Mercer (Assistant Coach/Linebackers) |
| Playing Experience | |
| Played four seasons (2009-12) in the fullback rotation at Georgia | |
| Education | |
| Bachelor's degree in political science (Georgia, 2013); bachelor's degree in international affairs (Georgia, 2013); master's degree in education instructional practice (Lipscomb, 2014). | |
| Family | |
| Fiancee, Emma McKinney | |
Updated: January 2026
Mercer Men's Basketball 2026 | vs. UNC Greensboro | Full Game Highlights
Friday, January 30
Mercer Men's Basketball Presser 1.26.26
Tuesday, January 27
Mercer Women's Basketball Presser 1.26.26
Tuesday, January 27
Mercer Women's Basketball 2026 | vs. Wofford | Full Game Highlights
Saturday, January 24
