What Mercer’s new coach wants to accomplish with first football signing class

The first 24 hours on the job were hectic ones for new Mercer Bears head coach Drew Cronic.

Over 600 miles, more than 10 hours in the car, and team meetings for two different football programs in two different states were just part of the transition.

Hired officially on Dec. 10, Cronic had to hit the ground running with early signing day quickly approaching on Dec. 18. He finished up his duties at Lenoir-Rhyne and said a tough goodbye to his former team before making his way down south.

Cronic decided his first priority with the Bears was to meet the players already on campus. He held individual meetings with over 70 players on the roster and also led a large team meeting.

“You want to set the vision with those guys, let them know we are going to be OK, et them know they are my guys just like I recruited them and signed them,” he said. “We want to do everything to give them a chance to win a championship this fall. Those guys deserve that.”

Cronic has a history of turning programs around in a hurry, something that could be crucial for Mercer’s program.

The Bears are coming off a 4-8 season and have finished around the .500 mark for the past few years.

Lenoir-Rhyne finished 3-7 in 2017, leading to Cronic taking over as the head coach. In his first season, he led his team to a 12-2 finish and followed it up with a 13-1 record this past year before accepting the Mercer job.

Cronic said part of his quick success was due to the work done on the recruiting trail and creating a winning culture.

“A lot of things went right. Kids bought in. Every deal has been about culture though. Building a culture where kids expect to win,” Cronic said. “That is what we are going to be about here is continuing to grow a stronger culture. … There is no reason in the world why you can’t bring a Southern Conference championship to Macon.”

The first recruiting class will be a chance to set the tone for the Cronic era going forward. The team was expecting to land some important players on Early Signing Day, and the key is to land high-character players who can fit into what coaches are building, Cronic said.

One advantage for Cronic is his Georgia roots. He has a history in the state and grew up around the game with his dad coaching at East Coweta for most of his career.

He relishes the chance to turn around an FCS program in his home state and is excited about the challenge.

“I grew up knowing the coaches in the state. … A lot of the guys on my staff have great connections here. I think they are going to know me and going to trust me,” Cronic said. “There is a passion about being home and wanting to give the people here in Macon and the people in my hometown in Newnan, Georgia, something they can be proud of.”

Cronic is still filling out his staff but one addition already in place is defensive coordinator Joel Taylor, who served in the same capacity at Lenoir-Rhyne.

Cronic said he will lean on the personnel he has to help shape the offense, saying fans can expect a physical brand of football. He will be looking for guys who fit that in the recruiting process.

Cronic will also bring his brand of offense to the team. His teams generally run a modified version of the wing-t offense. The traditional style of the offense is run-heavy and has a reputation for not being pass friendly.

While his offense sometimes leans into the principles of the wing-t, Cronic said he likes to incorporate a lot of different formations that allow more passing.

His dad, Danny, a former high school football coach in the state of Georgia for 30 seasons, had players lead the state in passing using a version similar to the one Cronic runs.

This approach leads to teams struggling to prepare for the offense, which helped Lenoir-Rhyne be one of the top-scoring offenses in Division II football with over 40 points per game.

“These guys (the staff) have been grinding. I am excited about the young men we are recruiting,” Cronic said. “We are going to sign some good football players. People want to be here. This is not a hard sell.”

Here are the players Mercer landed on early signing day:

• Quarterback Carter Peevy (Archer High School)
• Offensive tackle Bryer Touchton (Lowndes High School)
• Linebacker Dyvon McKinney (Ashboro High School)
• Quarterback/Wide receiver Ethan Dirrim (Creekview High School)
• Defensive end Jordan Swain (Glynn Academy High School)

• Offensive lineman Kevin Booker (Buchholz High School)

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 6:00 AM.