2025 Mercer Bears football team

2025 Mercer Bears football
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 23
FCS Coaches	No. 21
Record	0–1 (0–0 SoCon)
Head coach	Mike Jacobs (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Anthony Soto (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Jahmal Brown (2nd season)
Home stadium	Five Star Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Tennessee State		0	–	0					1	–	0
Furman		0	–	0					1	–	0
Chattanooga		0	–	0					0	–	1
No. 23 Mercer		0	–	0					0	–	1
Samford		0	–	0					0	–	1
The Citadel		0	–	0					0	–	1
VMI		0	–	0					0	–	1
Western Carolina		0	–	0					0	–	1
Wofford		0	–	0					0	–	1
As of September 3, 2025 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 Mercer Bears football team will represent Mercer University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears will be coached by second-year head coach Mike Jacobs and play at the Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia.

Schedule

On August 23, Mercer was set to play in the FCS Kickoff in their only nationally televised game of the season. With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the game was suspended due to lightning as UC Davis led 23-17. In the early morning hours of August 24, it was announced that the game would not resume, and that both teams had agreed to declare it a no contest. ^[1]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 23	7:00 p.m.	vs. No. 8 UC Davis *	No. 11	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL (FCS Kickoff)	ESPN	No Contest
August 30	6:00 p.m.	Presbyterian *	No. 11	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	L 10–15	8,149
September 13	6:00 p.m.	Wofford		Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+
September 20	2:00 p.m.	at The Citadel		Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+
September 27	5:30 p.m.	at East Tennessee State		William B. Greene Jr. Stadium Johnson City, TN	ESPN+
October 4	4:00 p.m.	Samford		Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+
October 11	1:00 p.m.	at Princeton *		Powers Field at Princeton Stadium Princeton, NJ	ESPN+
October 25	3:00 p.m.	VMI		Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+
November 1	2:00 p.m.	at Furman		Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	ESPN+
November 8	2:30 p.m.	at Western Carolina		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+
November 15	3:00 p.m.	Chattanooga		Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+
November 22	2:00 p.m.	at Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	SECN+/ESPN+
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^{[2] [3] [4]}

Game summaries

vs. No. 8 UC Davis

See also: 2025 UC Davis Aggies football team and FCS Kickoff

No. 8 UC Davis Aggies (0-0) vs. No. 11 Mercer Bears (0-0) – Game summary – NO CONTEST

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Aggies	-	-	-	-	0
No. 11 Bears	-	-	-	-	0

at Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL

• Date: August 23
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN): Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Rocky Boiman (analyst)

Statistics	UCD	MER
First downs	–	–
Total yards	–	–
Rushing yards	–	–
Passing yards	–	–
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	–	–
Time of possession	–	–

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UC Davis	Passing	–	–
	Rushing	–	–
	Receiving	–	–
Mercer	Passing	–	–
	Rushing	–	–
	Receiving	–	–

Presbyterian

See also: 2025 Presbyterian Blue Hose football team

Presbyterian Blue Hose (0-0) vs. No. 11 Mercer Bears (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Hose	0	6	3	6	15
No. 11 Bears	7	0	3	0	10

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

• Date: August 30
• Game time: 6:00 PM EDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Frank Malloy and Phil Cox

Game information

First Quarter 0:04 – MER – Adonis McDaniel 11 Yd pass from DJ Smith (Reice Griffith Kick). Mercer 0–7.Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:02 Second Quarter 9:37 - PRE – Nathan Levicki 29 Yd pass from Collin Hurst (Jett Jackson PAT failed). Mercer 6–7 Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:27 Third Quarter 8:53 – MER – Reice Griffith 22 Yd Field Goal. Mercer 6–10.Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards, 2:48 3:54 – PRE – Jett Jackson 29 Yd Field Goal. Mercer 9–10.Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 4:53. Fourth Quarter 0:56 – PRE – Zach Switzer 16 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed). Presbyterian 15–10.Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 5:39

Statistics	PRES	MER
First downs	20	16
Total yards	416	241
Rushing yards	113	87
Passing yards	303	154
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	7–55–1	5–41–1
Time of possession	35:50	24:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Presbyterian	Passing	Collin Hurst	25/38, 303 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD
	Rushing	Zach Switzer	9 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Dominic Kibby	9 receptions, 114 yards
Mercer	Passing	DJ Smith	22/36, 154 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD
	Rushing	Micah Bell	4 carries, 32 yards
	Receiving	Brayden Smith	4 receptions, 56 yards

Wofford

See also: 2025 Wofford Terriers football team

Wofford Terriers (0-0) vs. Mercer Bears (0-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Terriers	-	-	-	-	0
Bears	-	-	-	-	0

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

• Date: September 13

Statistics	WOFF	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wofford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at The Citadel

See also: 2025 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

Mercer Bears (0-0) vs. The Citadel Bulldogs (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Bulldogs	-	-	-	-	0

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 2:00 PM EDT

Statistics	MER	CIT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at East Tennessee State

See also: 2025 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

Mercer Bears (0-0) vs. East Tennessee State Buccaneers (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Buccaneers	-	-	-	-	0

at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium • Johnson City, TN

• Date: September 27

Statistics	MER	ETSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Tennessee State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Samford

See also: 2025 Samford Bulldogs football team

Samford Bulldogs (0-0) vs. Mercer Bears (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	-	-	-	-	0
Bears	-	-	-	-	0

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

• Date: October 4

Statistics	SAM	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Princeton

See also: 2025 Princeton Tigers football team

Mercer Bears (0-0) vs. Princeton Tigers (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Tigers	-	-	-	-	0

at Princeton Stadium • Princeton, NJ

• Date: October 11

Statistics	MER	PRIN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Princeton	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

VMI

See also: 2025 VMI Keydets football team

VMI Keydets (0-0) vs. Mercer Bears (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	-	-	-	-	0
Bears	-	-	-	-	0

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

• Date: October 25

Statistics	VMI	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Furman

See also: 2025 Furman Paladins football team

Mercer Bears (0-0) vs. Furman Paladins (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Paladins	-	-	-	-	0

at Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC

• Date: November 1

Statistics	MER	FUR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Furman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Western Carolina

See also: 2025 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

Mercer Bears (0-0) vs. Western Carolina Catamounts (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Catamounts	-	-	-	-	0

at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC

• Date: November 8

Statistics	MER	WCU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Chattanooga

See also: 2025 Chattanooga Mocs football team

Chattanooga Mocs (0-0) vs. Mercer Bears (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mocs	-	-	-	-	0
Bears	-	-	-	-	0

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

• Date: November 15
• Game time: 3:00 PM EST

Statistics	UTC	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Chattanooga	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Auburn

See also: 2025 Auburn Tigers football team

Mercer Bears (0-0) vs. Auburn Tigers (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Tigers	-	-	-	-	0

at Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL

• Date: November 22
• Game time: 1:00 PM CST

Statistics	MER	AUB
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Auburn	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
STATS FCS	11	23
Coaches	11	21

References

1. "UC Davis-Mercer deemed no contest after delay". ESPN.com. August 24, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
2. Kelley, Kevin (January 10, 2025). "Mercer announces 2025 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
3. Wilson, Nevaeh (January 25, 2025). "2025 Mercer football schedule announced". The Mercer Cluster. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
4. "Mercer and UC-Davis set to play in the 2025 FCS Kickoff Game". WAKA (TV). February 26, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.