Joel Taylor - Football Coach - Mercer University Athletics

Joel Taylor

Title:
Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
Alma Mater:
South Carolina State, 2004
Office Phone:
(478) 301-4601
Email:
Taylor_jc@mercer.edu

Joel Taylor joined head football coach Drew Cronic's coaching staff as the defensive coordinator on Dec. 17, 2019. He enters his fourth season with the Bears in 2023.

Taylor inherited a defense in 2019 that was ranked 117^th in the nation in total defense, 106^th in scoring defense and 112^th in takeaways. Under Taylor’s leadership, the Bears finished the 2022 season 25^th in the nation in total defense and 27^th nationally in scoring defense (22.1 points per game).

In 2022 the Bears’ defense led the FCS in interceptions with 17. The defense gave up a conference low 28 total touchdowns on the season. Opponents converted just 34.3 percent of third-downs against the Bears defense, the second best third-down defense in the conference. Isaac Dowling led the team with 99 tackles, tied for third most in the SoCon. Linebacker Isaac Dowling was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week after he had two interceptions against Western Carolina.

Upon Taylor’s arrival in 2019, Mercer had no defensive players receive all conference recognition. With Taylor’s mentoring, five players have since risen to all-conference status: linebacker Isaac Dowling, defensive lineman Solomon Zubairu, defensive lineman DJ McDaniel, safety Lance Wise and defensive lineman Chris Hill.

Taylor led a young Mercer defense in 2020-21 that made positive strides, especially in the pass game. Taylor's group allowed only 192.5 yards through the air and had the sixth-best overall defense in the Southern Conference, allowing 372.8 yards per game. Defensive lineman Solomon Zubairu wreaked havoc on opposing offenses from the first game of the season and was one of the best players in the Southern Conference at generating negative plays. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native led the conference with 10.5 tackles for loss, the second-most in the program's single-season history, and ranked third with 5.5 sacks. Dowling made an impact the first time he stepped on the gridiron wearing Mercer colors and in addition to All-SoCon honors he was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the FCS National Freshman of the Year.

Taylor, a four-year letterwinner and team captain at South Carolina State, joined the Mercer coaching staff following one season as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Lenoir-Rhyne under Cronic.

During the 2019 season at Lenoir-Rhyne, he helped lead the Bears to a school-record 13 wins and guided senior defensive end Jaquan Artis to D2CCA All-Super Region 2 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Under Taylor, the Bears led the South Atlantic Conference and ranked in the top 20 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense. Taylor’s defensive unit also recorded 3.57 sacks per game – which ranked 11th among all Division II, FCS and FBS teams in 2019.

At The Citadel in 2018, Taylor directed a defensive secondary that saw junior Aron Spann III land among the national leaders in interceptions for much of the season and Kailik Williams earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in the preseason.

Taylor helped lead The Citadel to a number of achievements in 2016. The Bulldogs put together a program-record 10-game winning streak, set a single-season school record with six road victories, won a second consecutive conference championship, earned a No. 6 national seed in the FCS Playoffs and hosted the first home playoff game in 24 years.

In 2015, The Citadel earned a Southern Conference co-championship and finished 9-4 overall after advancing to the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs for only the second time in school history.

Taylor helped South Carolina State earn a share of the MEAC championship in 2013, marking his third title with the Bulldogs. That squad was paced by a dominant defense that led the country in total defense, rushing defense and defensive pass efficiency and ranked second against the pass. They were led by All-MEAC safety Kimario McFadden, who signed a free agent deal with the Falcons in 2014, marking the eighth S.C. State defensive back in five years to make an NFL roster.

In 2011, the SC State secondary, led by All-MEAC defensive backs Thompson and Ellis, finished 10th in the nation in defensive pass efficiency. The previous season, Taylor took a unit of four first-year starters in the secondary and helped lead them to a No. 1 ranking in pass defense and No. 2 in pass efficiency in the nation. Additionally, the defense finished tops in the nation in total defense and 17th in interceptions, spearheaded by Ellis and Moody.

He also coached at SC State from 2004-08 and was the outside linebackers coach at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2009.

Taylor lettered all four seasons as a defensive back at South Carolina State from 2001-04. He was named team captain and defensive MVP during his senior campaign when he helped lead the team to the MEAC championship. As a junior, Taylor was a member of a squad that led the nation in defensive pass efficiency.

A Brooklyn, New York, native, Taylor grew up in Irmo, South Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2004 and a master’s in rehabilitation counseling in 2008, both from South Carolina State University. He is married to the former Mechelle Robertson.

Collegiate Coaching Timeline: