ERIE, PA - Mercyhurst Athletics is excited to announce the addition of Will Jeffress as the Director of Student Athlete Success. An Erie native and six-year Division I basketball player, Jeffress returns home less than a year removed from the locker room himself.

Jeffress will work closely with Mercyhurst student-athletes, coaches, and staff to support the success of all Laker student-athletes. In his role, he will organize and implement programs that contribute to the educational and personal growth of Mercyhurst student-athletes.

Jeffress graduated from McDowell High School a year early as a member of the National Honor Society. During his high school career, he earned the title of the number one basketball player in the state of Pennsylvania, set the record as the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at McDowell High School, and won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 16U FIBA Americas Championship.

He earned a full-ride scholarship to play Division I basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, where he arrived as one of the youngest player in the ACC in the last four decades. Jeffress excelled on and off the court, earning All-ACC Academic Team honors each year he was there, and graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in communications. While at Pitt, he served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and worked on his own Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements to build his brand.

Jeffress continued his athletic and academic career at Louisiana Tech University, where he was named to the All-Academic Team twice for the two years he was there, and earned his Master's of Business Administration, finishing summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade point average.

Three major injuries and two surgeries shaped the back half of those six seasons. In 2026, Jeffress closed the chapter on his own terms.

"Less than a year ago, I was sitting in the same seat these student-athletes are sitting in now," Jeffress said. "I know what it feels like to be locked into your sport and still be figuring out everything around it — school and life. My job is to make sure no Laker has to figure that out alone, and that when they walk out of here, they walk out with more than just a career in athletics."

Beyond his collegiate achievements, Jeffress has worked and directed youth basketball camps throughout the Erie community and is the founder of the Limitless Doctrine, a personal brand and media company about self-mastery, and everything that it touches.