Joel Taylor is bringing some Atlantic Coast Conference pedigree and one of college football’s fastest-rising young coaches to his inaugural Mercer Bears staff.
Multiple sources tell FootballScoop on Saturday that Taylor is set to tab Austin Davis as his inaugural offensive coordinator.
A former All-ACC lineman at Duke University under David Cutcliffe who also served as graduate assistant under then-Duke top offensive assistant Jeff Faris, Davis initially arrived at West Georgia in 2024 as the Wolves’s new offensive line coach after Davis had served a similar role at Northern Arizona.
When top young offensive coordinator Dane Stevens returned to Ole Miss as a senior analyst and passing game coordinator role in early 2025, Taylor at the time elevated Davis to West Georgia’s offensive coordinator role.
During the 2025 season, West Georgia surged to an 8-3 season and spent much of the year ranked in the AFCA Top 25 national rankings.
Davis helped the offense score 26 points per game; the unit five times scored 30 or more points this season.
Mercer hired Taylor to replace the departed Mike Jacobs, who was hired away this week from Mercer to become head coach in his native Ohio at Football Bowls Subdivision program Toledo. Â