Joel Taylor

Biography

A 21-year collegiate coaching veteran with a wake of defensive dominance throughout each stop of his storied career, Joel Taylor was announced as the 22nd head coach in the history of the Mercer football program on Dec. 11, 2025. Taylor, who led West Georgia to a dozen victories in the program’s first two seasons at the NCAA Division I FCS level, returns to Mercer after serving as the defensive coordinator for the Bears from 2020-23. He is fresh off of an 8-win campaign in 2024 that garnered him both United Athletic Conference and American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year accolades. West Georgia showcased an offense that tacked up more than 355 yards of total offense per game, while yielding just 122.9 rushing yards and 21.2 points an outing, on the way to an 8-3 campaign in 2025, doubling the program’s win total from his first year at the helm. The Wolves won each of their first five games in 2025, including victories over Southern Conference foes Samford and East Tennessee State, and climbed as high as No. 16 in both the AFCA and Stats Perform national rankings. The early-season winning skein also included a dominant 34-10 road triumph over then-No. 22 Nicholls. Prior to trekking to Carrollton, Ga., Taylor constructed a dominant defensive unit in Macon from 2020-23 – one that helped the Bears register 28 victories, including a 9-4 mark in 2023 that culminated with the program’s first berth into the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Mercer yielded just 142.1 rushing

Career Path