The Alabama Crimson Tide have added the Mercer Bears to their 2024 football schedule, according to a report by The Tuscaloosa News.
The Tuscaloosa News obtained a copy of the football game contracts from the University of Alabama via a state public records request.
Alabama will host Mercer at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. The Crimson Tide will pay the Bears a $600,000 guarantee for the game, per the copy of the contract.
Mercer is a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Bears finished the 2021 season 7-3 overall and 6-2 in SoCon action.
In their first pair of matchups in 1939 and 1940, Alabama defeated Mercer 20-0 in both contests in Tuscaloosa. The Bears did not return to Bryant-Denny Stadium until 2017 when they suffered a 56-0 defeat. In their fourth and most recent matchup in 2021, the Crimson Tide defeated the Bears 48-14.
In other non-conference action in 2024, Alabama will host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Aug. 31 and the USF Bulls on Sept. 7 before traveling to take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Sept. 14.
In SEC action in 2024, Alabama is scheduled to host Auburn, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Texas A&M and will travel to face Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.
Alabama is the first reported non-conference opponent for Mercer in 2024.
Football Schedules