Mercer lost coach Mike Jacobs earlier this week when Jacobs, on the heels of two outstanding seasons, returned to his native Ohio to accept the Football Bowls Subdivision job at Toledo.
Now, sources tell FootballScoop, Mercer is bringing an end to its search for Jacobs's replacement in short order.
Multiple sources tell FootballScoop Thursday that Mercer leadership and athletics director Jim Cole are going to tab former Mercer Bears defensive coordinator and current West Georgia University head coach Joel Taylor as the program's new leader.
"It's a done deal, confirmed," a source close to the situation told FootballScoop.
Taylor first proved a strong commodity to the Mercer program when he took over the Bears' defense earlier this decade.
Inheriting a unit that had ranked 106th nationally in the Football Championship Subdivision level, Taylor quickly turned around the Mercer defense with a 76-spot jump to No. 30 nationally. His defense helped fuel Mercer's run into the FCS Playoffs in 2023.
Taylor, who also coached at Lenoir-Rhyne, was a captain during his playing career at South Carolina State.
In his two seasons atop the West Georgia program, he helped the Wolves to stellar 8-3 2025 season that resulted in West Georgia just narrowly missing the FCS Playoffs. The West Georgia team also spent several weeks ranked in the AFCA FCS Top 25 and the FCS Nation Top 25 polls.