With new extension and roster, Mercer and head coach Mike Jacobs hungry for more success

Mercer’s head football coach is looking to push his team to new heights after a major contract extension.

Coach Mike Jacobs received the extension in March after his first year as head coach for the Bears. The contract will keep him as the head coach for Mercer through the 2029 season. 

“My family and I love Middle Georgia, it was really special for them to invest in us that way,” Jacobs said of the extension. 

The contract followed an impressive 11-3 record for the Bears, one of the best seasons in the program’s history which culminated in their first Southern Conference championship.

Along with the championship, Jacobs was awarded the Southern Conference Coach of the Year award, although he doesn’t see it as a solo accomplishment. 

“Those words are great, but they’re really team awards,” Jacobs said.

 With a consistent coaching staff and great players, the award was bound to happen sooner or later, according to Jacobs.

He said he wants his team to keep the feeling of “arrival” out of their minds. 

“We’ll continue to focus on building a strong team culture centered around putting the team first,” Jacobs said.

While that task may be easy to do when most of your roster is returning, Jacobs does not have that luxury. 

After the 2024 season, Mercer lost a host of players including defensive anchors Myles Redding, Brayden Manley and recent NFL signee TJ Moore. 

Moore and Redding totaled for 16 interceptions throughout the 2024 season before they graduated, while Manley won Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and transferred to Georgia Tech after a stellar season.

It’s a tall order to replace players of that level, Jacobs said, but far from impossible.

“We’ll at least be able to, whether it’s by committee, you may not have an individual do what those guys do, but we’ll have a group of guys that hopefully can play at that high level,” Jacobs said. 

While the Bears are looking to curate a team-first atmosphere, leadership is essential and it looked like the Bears had found their leader in freshman Whitt Newbauer.

Newbauer transferred to Oklahoma this past offseason, however, leaving the quarterback position up for grabs. 

“That room looks completely different now, there’s only one guy in the room that’s thrown a pass for Mercer,” Jacobs said. 

Jacobs named DJ Smith, Brady Atkinson, JP Pickles and Jake Wilson as potential players to earn the starting job. 

Smith threw for more than 1,000 yards, collecting nine touchdowns in the 2024 season.

Pickles transferred from The University of Texas at El Paso after starting three games for the
Miners. 

Wilson is a transfer from Purdue and Atkinson is a freshman for the Bears.

While all candidates show promise, Jacobs doesn’t want to put his eggs all in one basket just yet. 

“I think all four of those kids will have an opportunity to be the guy,” Jacobs said.

Scoring points and ball security are the top things the team is looking for out of their quarterback according to Jacobs, and quarterback isn’t the only personnel hurdle for the Bears.  

The linebacker room has been shifted around with new faces scattered throughout according to
Jacobs.

While these things might typically worry a coach, Jacobs seemed confident in spite of the changes. 

“There’s some folks that haven’t played or haven’t been on the roster that have a chance to really do some good things for us,” Jacobs said. 

The Bears will have a good opportunity to showcase their new additions with a game against UC Davis coming up.

While 63 days is not necessarily around the corner, time is of the essence for Jacobs and his Bears. 

UC Davis is not a team to underestimate, finishing 11-3 last season and operating a tremendous football program, according to Jacobs. 

However, the Bears appear to be making the necessary strides to be ready for their game against UC Davis. 

The team has been hosting workouts throughout the summer totalling eight weeks worth of practice with rest weeks scattered throughout, Jacobs said. 

The Bears will start their first practice on July 28, according to Jacobs. 

The Bears’ first home game is against Presbyterian on Aug. 30. 

Jacobs expressed his love and appreciation to the feeling the fans create every home game as they pack out Five Star stadium.

“I think it’s really got that big college atmosphere experience for our kids, we think it’s a tremendous advantage to play at home,” Jacobs said. 

With shifting players, big opponents and the pressure of a repeat on the horizon, it’s easy to be tense. 

But, with an extension in his pocket and an eye toward the future, Jacobs says he is optimistic about the challenges that await him and his team on the field this season.