Mercer, new coach Mike Jacobs ready for football season with big questions

It’s a reset, not a rebuild.

That’s the message new Mercer head football coach Mike Jacobs and his coordinators sent at the team’s first press conference of the 2024 season. 

“New” is a relative term: Jacobs was hired to lead the Bears in January after remarkably successful stints at Notre Dame College in Ohio and Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina.

Mercer is a different beast, though: It’s Division 1 football, with national powerhouses like Alabama, historic universities like Princeton and — more importantly — Southern Conference foes like 2023 conference champion Furman on the schedule.

Jacobs is, oddly enough, following in the steps of Drew Cronic for the second time in his career. Even though they’ve never worked together, Jacobs took over at Lenoir-Rhyne when Cronic left to helm Mercer, and now with Cronic at Navy, Jacobs leads a Bears team that went 9-4 last season and won a playoff game.

“So many times when you have an opportunity to become a head coach at any level, you’re usually cleaning something up, something’s broken or wrong or the culture is bad,” Jacobs said. “That’s not the case here. There’s a rock solid foundation of who we want our Mercer football players to be. We’ve certainly put our own twist on things and we do things differently, but there’s a solid foundation of what’s expected of our young men. We’re not in a complete rebuild, so I think we’re ahead of the game.”

That’s not to say that Jacobs and offensive coordinator Anthony Soto don’t have a tall task ahead of them in rebuilding an offense that lost an enormous amount of production. Star receivers Devron Harper and Ty James graduated, while Al Wooten II and Carter Peevy transferred. 

Jacobs said his intention is to build the team with high school football players from the Middle Georgia area. But the timing of his hire meant that Mercer needed some help via the transfer portal and, more critically, needed to convince veterans to stay. Jacobs and his staff were able to do both.

Three players followed Jacobs and Soto from Lenoir-Rhyne: running back Dwayne McGee (1,533 rushing yards and 12 TDs in 2023), wide receiver Kelin Parsons (32 catches for 452 yards and 4 TDs) and offensive lineman Xavier Jennings. They’ll join an offense that Soto said needs to be fast and physical, regardless of who starts. 

Mercer hasn’t named a starting QB for the Aug. 29 season opener against Presbyterian College, a small school out of Clinton, South Carolina that the Bears hold a 10-5 all-time record against. 

But DJ Smith, a transfer from Ellisville, Mississippi’s Jones County Junior College, is the most experienced with 2,306 total yards and 21 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Redshirt junior Hess Horne has returned from injury and completed 8-11 passes during a recent scrimmage.

“The biggest thing we’re looking for these next 10-11 days is who can operate the offense at a high level and move us down the field with the most consistency,” Soto said. “DJ has flashed for us, done a lot of great things with his arm and his legs. 

“Our freshman guys, Neko [Fann] and Whitt [Newbauer] are different types of players. Whitt is more your traditional pocket passer, Neko can hurt you with his legs, getting out of the pocket, both of those guys have played really well and been impressive as freshmen.”

Defensive mentality

Defensive coordinator Jahmal Brown worked with Jacobs at Notre Dame and Lenoir-Rhyne before taking a similar job with Youngstown State last season. 

He returns to Jacobs’ staff leading a defense that’s blessed with strong veteran leaders like linebacker Isaac Dowling (294 career tackles), defensive back TJ Moore II (122 career tackles, 4 INTs) and linebacker Ken Standley (292 career tackles, 32 tackles for loss). 

The defense will likely log serious minutes on the field as the Bears build an identity on offense. But Brown said he wants his defenders focused on what they can control.

“Every time we’re out there, we’re giving our all,” he said. “We have to be present in the moment and do the best that we can. And understanding that we have depth at every level, we expect you to play your hardest for every snap. If you need a break, we’ll get that next guy in.”

The Bears will have more than a week between their season opener Thursday and their second game, a road trip to Daytona Beach to take on Bethune-Cookman. Conference play begins Sept. 14 when Mercer welcomes the Chattanooga to town. 

Other key dates are a home game against Princeton Oct. 12, a trip to Tuscaloosa to battle the Crimson Tide Nov. 16 and a showdown with Furman for the final regular season game Nov. 23.