Mercer QB goes from understudy to national freshman of the year
Braden Atkinson had planned to spend his first season at Mercer as an understudy, taking time to learn the playbook and getting adjusted to college life. Then plans changed.
After the Bears produced only 10 points in the season-opening loss to Presbyterian, Mercer coach Mike Jacobs turned to the freshman to energize the offense. Atkinson seized the opportunity, kept the job and guided Mercer to its second consecutive Southern Conference championship.
On Tuesday, Atkinson won the Jerry Rice Award, given to the best freshman in FCS competition.
“The kid came in and went 9-for-9 on his first nine passes,” Jacobs said. “It was like, all right, maybe we made the right decision — or maybe we should have made it sooner.”
The No. 6-seeded Bears (9-2), who had a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs, will host No. 11 South Dakota (9-4) at noon Saturday at Five Star Stadium in Macon. South Dakota advanced with a 38-17 win over Drake in the first round.
Atkinson, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound freshman from Rolesville, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, has put together an amazing season. Atkinson has thrown for 3,448 yards and 34 touchdowns — both second in the Southern Conference — with only seven interceptions.
He was named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and finished fifth in voting for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the national FCS offensive player of the year.
“That young man’s play has certainly been a big piece of our success this year,” Jacobs said.
Atkinson’s timeline was altered when incumbent quarterback Whitt Newbauer transferred to Oklahoma. Newbauer passed for 1,398 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Bears as a freshman in 2024.
“I thought I was just going to learn behind him, sit for a year and see what he does,” Atkinson said. “And then when I got the news he was leaving, I felt there was a possibility that I had a chance to play, and that’s what happened.”
After sitting out the first game, Atkinson started against Wofford, a team with a reputation for being a hard-nosed football team. He went 26-for-36 with 311 yards and two touchdowns in his debut. The job was his.
“Coach Jacobs and (offensive coordinator Anthony) Soto really prepared me that week, just coming out, getting some easy throws and settling me down,” Atkinson said. “Once I hit that first pass, I was comfortable.”
Eight times he has thrown for more than 300 yards. He set a school record with 533 yards and five touchdowns against VMI.
“I think what you see is a young man who studies, who prepares like a veteran, like a senior,” Jacobs said. “He’s highly intelligent. The ball comes out quick, and what you see each week is not just the confidence that he has in himself, it’s in what his teammates believe. Whether it’s third-and-2 or third-and-14, we believe we’re going to get the third down and keep this thing moving.”
The Bears had 17 players named to the All-SoCon team, including Andrew Zock, who is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the best defensive lineman in FCS football. Zock had 11½ sacks and was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year.
Other first-team all-conference players were running back C.J. Miller, offensive lineman Xavier Jennings, wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs, linebacker Drew Clare, defensive back Caleb Hutchinson and kicker Reice Griffith.
Jacobs was the SoCon Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS Coach of the Year.
“Whenever coach talks about it, he always says that when the team wins more and accomplishes more, that’s when you see the individuals accomplish more and get these awards,” Atkinson said. “It’s just a testament to the team and how much we’ve accomplished.”
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
