Dylan Gaither - Men's Soccer Coach - Mercer University Athletics

Dylan Gaither

Title:
Assistant Coach

Dylan Gaither, one of the most decorated players in Mercer men’s soccer history, returns to Macon as an assistant coach ahead of the 2026 season.

Gaither spent last season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Oglethorpe after starting his coaching career as an assistant at Mercer in 2024.
In his first season with the Stormy Petrels, Gaither coached his squad to a 6-9-2 record (2-4-1 SAA), including a 1-1 draw with then No. 4 Washington and Lee. Under Gaither’s tutelage, freshman goalkeeper Sebastian Lewis received All-Southern Atlantic Association Second Team honors while three of his teammates received All-SAA honorable mentions. Owen Vanmarter tallied four goals and six assists while leading the SAA with 1.56 goals per match.

The Bears went 6-5-7 (1-2-2 SoCon) in 2024 with Gaither on staff. Mercer competed against three nationally ranked opponents, highlighted by a road trip to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the Bears kept a clean sheet in a draw against then No. 3 North Carolina. As a team, the Bears found the back of the net 23 times, fired 85 shots on target, tallied 74 points and maintained eight shutouts.

Before his coaching career began, Gaither turned in one of the best playing careers in Mercer soccer history. Gaither, a two-time All-SoCon First Teamer, led the Bears to three SoCon championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances across his five seasons in Macon. The Lilburn, Georgia, native appeared in 81 matches (made 75 starts) for Mercer and tallied 82 career points (30 goals and 22 assists).

Gaither currently holds multiple Mercer men’s soccer records, including:

Single Match
Most Assists (4 | vs. Winthrop in ’22)
Third-Most Goals (3, 2x | vs. Furman and vs. Gardner-Webb in ’21)
Third-Most Points (7 | vs. Gardner-Webb in ’21)
Fourth-Most Points (6 | vs. Winthrop in ’22)

Single Season
Most Game-Winning Goals (5 in 2021)
Most Shots on Goal (35 in 2021)
Second-Most Assists (10 in 2022)
Third-Most Points (33 in 2021)
Fourth-Most Goals (14 in 2021)
Fourth-Most Shots (50 in 2021)
Fifth-Most Shots (49 in 2022)

Career
Most Shots on Goal (91 from 2019-23)
Second-Most Assists (22 from 2019-23)
Second-Most Shots (182 from 2019-23)
Third-Most Game-Winning Goals (8 from 2019-23)
Fourth-Most Points (82 from 2019-23)
Fifth-Most Goals (30 from 2019-23)
Fifth-Most Appearances (81 from 2019-23)
Fifth-Most Starts (75 from 2019-23)

Gaither has also racked up a variety of accolades, including:

3x SoCon Champion
3 NCAA Tournament Appearances
SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2021)
All-SoCon First Team (2020-21)
All-SoCon First Team (2022)
All-SoCon Second Team (2021)
SoCon All-Freshman Team (2019)
United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team (2022)
United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Third Team (2021)
College Soccer News National Player of the Week (2021)
SoCon Offensive Player of the Week (2021)
3 Year Team Captain

Gaither completed his undergraduate degree in the spring of 2023 while majoring in Sports Marketing and Analytics. Gaither officially became a “Double Bear” when he completed his MBA in the spring of 2024.