Richie Lankford

Biography

A former collegiate signal caller with experience on the west coast, as well as at a pair of Georgia universities, Richie Lankford begins his first year at Mercer in 2025-26 as an offensive analyst for the Bears. Lankford joined the coaching staff in Macon after finishing up his playing career at West Georgia. Lankford played in seven games and threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns on 64 percent passing across his lone season at San Mateo College in northern California before trekking back home where he spent the next two seasons (2022-23) at Georgia Southern. Lankford transferred to West Georgia for his final collegiate season in 2024, logging 17 passing yards and 15 rushing yards, including a 7-yard scoring scamper against Lincoln. An all-state prep student-athlete in two sports, Lankford threw for more than 5,000 yards and 71 touchdowns under center for Palmetto Preparatory Academy in Columbia, S.C., while also etching his name among the school’s 1,000-point scorers on the hardwood as well. He closed out his prep career as the football program’s all-time leader in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, and helped lead the basketball squad to a state championship as just a sophomore. A native of McDonough, Ga., Lankford possesses a wealth of athletic-related volunteer experience as well, including a stint as an usher at Talladega Superspeedway for three events during the 2025 season. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from UWG in 2025.