Mercer Athletics announced on Jan. 18 that 21-year collegiate coaching veteran Mike Jacobs has been named as the football program’s 21st head coach.
Jacobs, who has compiled a 74-17 record across head coaching stops at Notre Dame (Ohio) and Lenoir-Rhyne, boasts the nation’s sixth-best winning percentage among active coaches at the NCAA Division I and II levels. He is fresh off a 2023 season that saw him lead Lenoir-Rhyne to a 13-2 record and an appearance in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
“I want to thank the search committee members for their endless hours of work in identifying the next leader of our football program. It was a joy to work alongside them,” said Mercer Athletics Director Jim Cole. “Our goal throughout this process was to find not only a leader with a track record of success, but also one who will continue to build on the success that our program has already experienced. Mike Jacobs shares our values and our vision for Mercer football, but (I) also think that he is a leader that young men will want to play for. I am excited to welcome Mike, his wife, Lacey, and their two sons, Luke and Knox, to the Mercer Bears family.”
Drew Cronic resigned as head football coach on Jan. 9 to assume the offensive coordinator role with the Navy Midshipmen. Cronic led the Bears to 28 victories across his four seasons, including a 9-4 record in 2023 that culminated in the University’s first berth in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Read more about Mike Jacobs at mercerbears.com.
