The Mercer Bears football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Southern Conference. The team plays its home games at the 10,200-seat Five Star Stadium on the university’s Macon campus. The Bears compete in the Southern Conference (SoCon) of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Mercer fielded their first football team in 1892, and competed intermittently until 1941. The program was revived in 2013, and Mercer spent their first season competing in the Pioneer Football League before transitioning to the SoCon in 2014. The first game was on August 31, 2013, when Mercer defeated (40–37) Reinhardt University.
Mercer football became nationally ranked in the FCS Coaches Poll in 2022. The Bears stayed within the FCS Coaches Poll rankings through the entire 2022 season, and reached as high as 11th in both the FCS Coaches Poll and FCS STATS Perform Poll. Mercer finished 8–3 in 2023 and obtained a program-high eight wins against Division I opponents in their 2023 campaign. The Bears have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs one time in 2023.