Joel Taylor was named the 12th head football coach in University of West Georgia history on December 2, 2023 after almost two decades of successful coaching experience at multiple levels of college football.
Taylor was selected to usher the program into the Division I era, and he did that in a big way by leading the Wolves to a win over Samford in the opening game of 2024 for the institution's first football victory as a Division I program. By season's end, Taylor and the Wolves won four games and ended the season with their first-ever United Athletic Conference victory over Utah Tech. In year one under Taylor, West Georgia had one All-UAC selection.
His most recent position prior to coming to Carrollton to usher UWG into the Division I era was at Mercer University where he was the defensive coordinator. Regarded as one of the top defensive coordinators in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Taylor completely transformed the Mercer defense in his four seasons in Macon.
At Mercer, Taylor inherited a Mercer defense that ranked 106th in the country in scoring defense prior to his arrival and then saw his defense rank 30th in the same category in 2022. Also in 2022, Taylor's defense ranked 17th nationally in yards per play allowed and gave up just 22.1 points per game. Additionally, Taylor’s 2022 Mercer defense led FCS with 17 interceptions and gave up a conference-low 28 touchdowns over the course of the season.
His tenure at Mercer culminated with a second-round appearance in the FCS Playoffs in 2023 as the Bears qualified for the postseason for the first time in program history and won their first ever appearance over Gardner-Webb. In that game, the Bears' surrendered just one touchdown, winning, 17-7.
Taylor has had defensive success everywhere he has coached, including his one season as defensive coordinator at Lenoir-Rhyne. There, Taylor led a Bears’ defense that ranked No. 1 nationally with 50 sacks, limited opponents to 17.4 points per game and finished 13-1 with a conference championship and a quarterfinal berth in the NCAA Playoffs.
Numerous players have enjoyed individual success under Taylor’s tutelage, most recently Mercer linebacker Isaac Dowling, who was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award given to the top freshman in the country. At Lenoir-Rhyne, Taylor was instrumental in the development of safety Kyle Dugger, who was a second-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2020.
Prior to his stint at Lenoir-Rhyne, Taylor coached defensive backs and was the defensive passing game coordinator at The Citadel, where he was a part of back-to-back SOCON Championships, including a No. 9 final ranking in the FCS Poll in 2016.
Taylor also spent time at his alma mater, South Carolina State, from 2010-13 and 2005-08, sandwiched around a one-year stint as the defensive ends and outside linebackers coach at Lenoir-Rhyne. He was part of three MEAC Championships and NCAA Playoff Appearances in his time at South Carolina State (2008, 2010 and 2013) and added a Division II Playoff Appearance at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2008.
As a player, Taylor lettered at South Carolina State from 2001-04, was a senior captain and a member of the Bulldogs’ 2004 conference championship team.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Taylor grew up in Irmo, South Carolina. He completed his bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2004 and his master’s in rehabilitation counseling in 2008, both from South Carolina State. He is married to the former Mechelle Robertson.
