Mercer Bears announce early signing class

MACON – The 8th-ranked Mercer football team signed 17 football players to grant-in-aid offers on Wednesday during the first day of the 2024-25 early signing period.

The Bears (10-2, 7-1 SoCon), who will make their second-straight appearance in the NCAA FCS Playoffs beginning on Saturday, found recruits at nine different positions, including a quartet of additions in the secondary and three each on the offensive and defensive lines. The signees hail from five different states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

“Today is a special day for our program,” said head coach Mike Jacobs. “Not only do we get to prepare to compete in the NCAA FCS Playoffs as a national seed, but it’s also National Signing Day where we’ve had a full year to identify talent that fits into the Mercer standard and what we are trying to build here.

“We feel very strongly about the class that we were able to put together. I can’t say enough about the hard work that our staff put in, especially Recruiting Coordinator Fred Jones and our Director of On-Campus Recruiting Akiliyah Sumlin. We are really looking forward to getting these guys to campus and getting them rolling now that they are officially Bears.”

Additional signees are expected and will be announced at a later date.

No. 7 national seed Mercer will be in action again on Saturday when the Bears suit up to take on No. 10 national seed Rhode Island (11-2, 7-1 CAA) in the second round of the 2024 NCAA FCS Playoffs at Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.