Dacula, Ga. - Hebron Christian Academy football senior running back Devon Caldwell announced his commitment to Mercer University on Sunday, Aug. 3. 

The four-year senior chose the Bears over programs like Georgia State, Air Force, Cornell and Princeton. 

Caldwell has been integral in the Lions' rushing attack since he carried the ball 143 times for 699 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman (2022). 

He nearly doubled those numbers as a sophomore, with nearly 1100 yards-rushing and 12 touchdowns, and breaking out as a junior with over 1400 yards and 23 scores. 

Caldwell's average of yards-per-carry as last season was an impressive 8.1, and he averaged just over 100 yards-rushing across 14 games, the final being in the Lions' state championship win over Prince Avenue Christian. 

For the Bears of Mercer, located in Macon, Ga., they are on the up-and-up, winning a program-high eight games in 2023, and claiming their first Southern Conference (SOCON) Championship in 2024. 

They finished last season with a strong 11-3 record, only losing to national power Alabama, top FCS contender North Dakota State and Samford. 

Notable wins in 2024 for Mercer came against top-25-ranked teams in No. 14 Chattanooga, No. 23 Wofford, No. 24 Western Carolina and No. 23 East Tennessee State. 

The Bears are led by head coach Mike Jacobs, who is set to begin his second season at the helm. 

Jacobs has compiled an 85-20 record across head coaching stops at Nore Dame (Ohio), Lenoir-Ryne and now Mercer. 

He holds the sixth-best winning percentage (.810) among active coaches at the NCAA Division I and II levels.