Football
Tripp Weaver
- Title:
- Defensive Coordinator
- Alma Mater:
- East Carolina, 2012
- Office Phone:
- (478) 301-2713
A 14-year coaching veteran with previous stops at six other collegiate institutions, Tripp Weaver begins his first year at Mercer in 2026-27, as well as his third alongside head coach Joel Taylor, as the defensive coordinator for the Bears. Weaver joined the coaching staff in Macon in December 2025 after spending the previous season at West Georgia as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Wolves.
Player development has been a calling card for Weaver since his first coaching stop. Twenty-one players have raked in all-conference under the guidance of the enthusiastic mentor, including nine that have gone on to be crowned with all-America laurels. That list includes West Georgia defensive lineman David Hoage who became the program’s first NCAA Division I All-American in 2025 after posting 62 stops, including 20 tackles for loss and 8-1/2 sacks.
Weaver helped construct a formidable stop troop in just one season at West Georgia. The Wolves boasted what would have been (UWG was amid transition to NCAA Division I; not eligible for statistics ranking) the nation’s 21st-ranked total defense (332.2 yards/game allowed) in 2025, while also limiting foes to just 21.2 points per game (T-21st NCAA). West Georgia amassed 70 tackles for loss (6.4/game) along the way, including 33 quarterback drops, and held opponents to 296 offensive yards or fewer six times. The Wolves also forced 20 turnovers, including 10 interceptions.
The dominance followed a similar path for Weaver at the reins of the Austin Peay defense in 2024. The Governors logged a league-best 6.0 tackles for loss per game and picked off 14 passes (17th NCAA) on the way to finishing with one of the United Athletic Conference’s (UAC) top defensive squads. Austin Peay allowed 350 offensive yards or fewer six times, and forced at least one turnover on six occasions, including multiple takeaways in four of those contests. Six foes were held to 150 rushing yards or less.
Prior to making the move to northwest Tennessee, Weaver spent three seasons (2021-23) as the safeties coach at his alma mater and helped guide East Carolina to a heap of success including a win over Coastal Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl. Weaver’s position group accounted for 37 interceptions across his four seasons in Conway, S.C., including six as the Pirates registered NCAA FBS’s 14th-best interception total in 2021.
Weaver dove into his first full-time coaching stint amid a two-year stay (2014-15) as the outside linebackers coach for The Citadel. The Bulldogs rattled off 14 wins with Weaver on staff, including a 9-win campaign in 2015 that culminated with a share of the Southern Conference championship, as well as a berth into the FCS Playoffs. The Citadel picked off 20 passes (3rd NCAA) in 2015 under the direction of both Weaver and current Mercer head coach Joel Taylor who was mentoring the squad’s defensive backs.
Success continued to follow Weaver as he made the move to Harrisonburg, Va., in 2016 and 2017 to coach the cornerbacks for James Madison, while also serving as recruiting coordinator for the Dukes. James Madison rattled off 28 wins, including a school-record 26-game win streak, across that span, while also staking claim to both the 2016 and 2017 Colonial Athletic Association championships, as well as back-to-back appearances in the FCS National Championship Game. The Dukes capped the 2016 season with a dominant 28-14 win over Youngstown State to claim the program’s second national championship.
Weaver put together an impressive three-year run (2018-20) as an assistant coach at Western Carolina, transforming WCU’s secondary into one of the most feared among the 124 FCS schools, while also developing two future NFL defensive backs in John Brannon (San Diego Chargers) and Marvin Tillman (Kansas City Chiefs). Weaver served as the secondary coach during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, before being promoted to defensive coordinator in time for the 2020 season. Western Carolina yielded just 176.3 passing yards per game (17th) in 2019, and ranked 16th among FCS schools with 14 forced turnovers in 2020.
The Asheville, N.C., native served as a defensive student assistant under head coaches Skip Holtz and Ruffin McNeill at East Carolina from 2009-11, and was a part of a Pirates program that captured the 2009 Conference USA championship and made postseason appearances at the 2009 Liberty Bowl and 2010 Military Bowl. He accepted a graduate assistant's position at ECU in 2012, increasing his responsibilities by working directly with cornerbacks during his initial year before coaching safeties in 2013.
Weaver earned his bachelor’s degree in sports studies from East Carolina in 2012. He is the proud father of a toddler son, Riley.
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Player development has been a calling card for Weaver since his first coaching stop. Twenty-one players have raked in all-conference under the guidance of the enthusiastic mentor, including nine that have gone on to be crowned with all-America laurels. That list includes West Georgia defensive lineman David Hoage who became the program’s first NCAA Division I All-American in 2025 after posting 62 stops, including 20 tackles for loss and 8-1/2 sacks.
Weaver helped construct a formidable stop troop in just one season at West Georgia. The Wolves boasted what would have been (UWG was amid transition to NCAA Division I; not eligible for statistics ranking) the nation’s 21st-ranked total defense (332.2 yards/game allowed) in 2025, while also limiting foes to just 21.2 points per game (T-21st NCAA). West Georgia amassed 70 tackles for loss (6.4/game) along the way, including 33 quarterback drops, and held opponents to 296 offensive yards or fewer six times. The Wolves also forced 20 turnovers, including 10 interceptions.
The dominance followed a similar path for Weaver at the reins of the Austin Peay defense in 2024. The Governors logged a league-best 6.0 tackles for loss per game and picked off 14 passes (17th NCAA) on the way to finishing with one of the United Athletic Conference’s (UAC) top defensive squads. Austin Peay allowed 350 offensive yards or fewer six times, and forced at least one turnover on six occasions, including multiple takeaways in four of those contests. Six foes were held to 150 rushing yards or less.
Prior to making the move to northwest Tennessee, Weaver spent three seasons (2021-23) as the safeties coach at his alma mater and helped guide East Carolina to a heap of success including a win over Coastal Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl. Weaver’s position group accounted for 37 interceptions across his four seasons in Conway, S.C., including six as the Pirates registered NCAA FBS’s 14th-best interception total in 2021.
Weaver dove into his first full-time coaching stint amid a two-year stay (2014-15) as the outside linebackers coach for The Citadel. The Bulldogs rattled off 14 wins with Weaver on staff, including a 9-win campaign in 2015 that culminated with a share of the Southern Conference championship, as well as a berth into the FCS Playoffs. The Citadel picked off 20 passes (3rd NCAA) in 2015 under the direction of both Weaver and current Mercer head coach Joel Taylor who was mentoring the squad’s defensive backs.
Success continued to follow Weaver as he made the move to Harrisonburg, Va., in 2016 and 2017 to coach the cornerbacks for James Madison, while also serving as recruiting coordinator for the Dukes. James Madison rattled off 28 wins, including a school-record 26-game win streak, across that span, while also staking claim to both the 2016 and 2017 Colonial Athletic Association championships, as well as back-to-back appearances in the FCS National Championship Game. The Dukes capped the 2016 season with a dominant 28-14 win over Youngstown State to claim the program’s second national championship.
Weaver put together an impressive three-year run (2018-20) as an assistant coach at Western Carolina, transforming WCU’s secondary into one of the most feared among the 124 FCS schools, while also developing two future NFL defensive backs in John Brannon (San Diego Chargers) and Marvin Tillman (Kansas City Chiefs). Weaver served as the secondary coach during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, before being promoted to defensive coordinator in time for the 2020 season. Western Carolina yielded just 176.3 passing yards per game (17th) in 2019, and ranked 16th among FCS schools with 14 forced turnovers in 2020.
The Asheville, N.C., native served as a defensive student assistant under head coaches Skip Holtz and Ruffin McNeill at East Carolina from 2009-11, and was a part of a Pirates program that captured the 2009 Conference USA championship and made postseason appearances at the 2009 Liberty Bowl and 2010 Military Bowl. He accepted a graduate assistant's position at ECU in 2012, increasing his responsibilities by working directly with cornerbacks during his initial year before coaching safeties in 2013.
Weaver earned his bachelor’s degree in sports studies from East Carolina in 2012. He is the proud father of a toddler son, Riley.
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| THE WEAVER FILE | |
| Coaching Experience | |
| 2012-13 | East Carolina (Graduate Assistant/Cornerbacks, Safeties) |
| 2014-15 | The Citadel (Assistant Coach/Outside Linebackers) |
| 2016-17 | James Madison (Assistant Coach/Cornerbacks) |
| 2018-19 | Western Carolina (Assistant Coach/Secondary) |
| 2020 | Western Carolina (Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator) |
| 2021-23 | East Carolina (Assistant Coach/Safeties) |
| 2024 | Austin Peay (Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator) |
| 2025 | West Georgia (Assistant Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator) |
| 2026-Present | Mercer (Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator) |
| Education | |
| Bachelor's degree in sports studies (East Carolina, 2012). | |
| Family | |
| Son, Riley | |
Updated: December 2025
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