George Quarles is in his second season as the Governors’ tight ends coach after joining Jeff Faris’ inaugural coaching staff in Jan. 2024.
Following a prolific head coaching career at Maryville High School, in which Quarles won 11 TSSAA State Championships and commanded a 250-16 head coaching record, he served as the associate head coach at his alma mater, Furman, for five years before being named the head coach at East Tennessee for two seasons.
During his head coaching career in Johnson City, Tennessee, Quarles coached 19 players to All-SoCon honors, including 10 First Team All-SoCon selections.
When Clay Hendrix was named the head coach of Furman in 2017, he appointed Quarles as his associate head coach. There, the duo went 31-23 and won the 2018 SoCon Championship.
A 2018 inductee into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Quarles turned Maryville High School into a powerhouse during his 18 years at the helm of the program with a .939 winning percentage during his tenure. The Red Rebels had a 74-game winning streak from 2004-08 and a 44-game winning streak from 2013-15. Quarles coached eight undefeated seasons and lost only nine of his final 249 games.
Quarles earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Furman in 1989 and received a master’s of education in administration and supervision from Lincoln Memorial.
QUARLES’ CAREER SUMMARY
Austin Peay (2024-CURRENT)
2024: Named to Jeff Faris’ coaching staff in Jan. 2024. Coached Austin Peay’s tight ends unit, which totaled 27 receptions, 188 yards, and three touchdowns. Alec Pell started the first eight games for the Governors at tight end, where he had a position-best two touchdown receptions and finished second amongst the Govs’ tight ends with 11 receptions and 74 receiving yards before being sidelined due to injury in the season's final four games. Jackson Head appeared in 11 games for APSU and started each of the season's final four games in Pell’s absence. Head finished the season with 16 receptions, 114 yards, and one touchdown.
ETSU (2022-23)
2023: Had 12 players receive Southern Conference honors, with five being tabbed First or Second-Team All-SoCon honorees. Safety Sheldon Arnold II was named a First Team All-SoCon selection after starting in all 11 games, tallying 87 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Fellow safety Chris Hope earned Second Team All-SoCon honors after leading the Bucs with 94 tackles. Linebacker Stephen Scott was a first-team selection after finishing second on the team with 89 tackles. Punter Nate Brackett also earned first-team recognition after totaling 2,906 punt yards and a 43.4-yard average with 21 punts inside the 20-yard line and 13 50-yard punts. Lastly, offensive lineman Luke Smith was tabbed a Second Team All-SoCon selection after playing over 600 snaps for the Bucs.
2022: Named the 19th head football coach at East Tennessee State University in Dec. 2021. Coached five student-athletes to First Team All-SoCon honors. Under his leadership, senior running back Jacob Saylors rushed 225 times for 1,307 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to being named a Stats Perform FCS All-American. Following his senior season at ETSU, Saylors signed with the Cincinnati Bengals for the 2023 NFL season; he played for the Cleveland Browns in 2024 and is set to play his third NFL season for the Detroit Lions in 2025. One of Saylors’ lead blockers, offensive lineman Joe Schreiber, also earned All-SoCon recognition. Defensively, redshirt freshman linebacker Chandler Martin earned first-team recognition after leading the team with 99 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and recording 3.5 sacks in 10 games. Defensive back Alijah Huzzie also earned All-SoCon recognition after posting a 56-tackle, six-interception campaign. Lastly, kicker Tyler Keltner earned First Team All-SoCon recognition after going 17-of-23 on field goals and 38-of-38 on PATs.
Furman (2017-21)
2021: Furman's associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach. The Paladins earned Top-25 wins against North Carolina A&T and VMI. Tight End Ryan Miller again was named an Associated Press All-American after catching 43 passes for 749 yards and seven touchdowns.
2020: Furman won three games in the COVID-19-shortened spring 2021 season. Tight end Ryan Miller caught six touchdown passes in seven games and was tabbed a First Team All-American by the Associated Press.
2019: The Paladins went 8-5 and 6-2 in SoCon play during his third season as associate head coach. Furman earned its 18th appearance in the FCS Championship, where it fell to Austin Peay in the first round. FU led the SoCon in scoring offense (33.5 points per game) and scoring defense (20.5). Kicker Grayson Atkins earned his second-straight All-American honor, while breaking the SoCon record with 18 made field goals, including a program-record-tying 55-yard make at Western Carolina.
2018: Transitioned to the program’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, in addition to his previously held associate head coaching duties. Following a 0-3 start, the Paladins won six of their final seven games to claim a share of their 14th SoCon Championship. Freshman defensive lineman Adrian Hope led the FCS with 15.0 sacks en route to Associated Press All-America honors and finished fourth for the Stats Perform Jerry Rice FCS Freshman of the Year Award. Kicker Grayson Atkins also earned Associated Press All-American honors after going 11-of-13 on field goals, including making his final 11 attempts.
2017: After accomplishing nearly all there was to at the high school level, Quarles was named associate head coach and tight ends coach at Furman by newly-appointed head coach Clay Hendrix. Under their leadership, Furman overcame a 0-3 start to finish the regular season 7-4. The Paladins won seven-straight games after Week 3, which matched the program’s longest winning streak since 1999. Furman defeated No. 20 Elon in the first round of the FCS Football Championship. The Paladins led the SoCon in scoring offense (32.6 points per game) and sacks (34). They also had the fewest penalties per game in the FCS (3.2) and were led by a dominant rushing attack, which averaged 225.8 rushing yards per game (13th in FCS). Offensive lineman Matthew Schmidt was named the SoCon Jacobs Blocking Award winner – given to the league’s top offensive lineman – and tabbed an AFCA All-American. Quarterback P.J. Blazejowski finished second in the FCS in passing efficiency (172.3), while Hendrix also was named the consensus SoCon Coach of the Year during his first season at the helm.
Maryville High School (1995-2016)
1999-2016: Head coach of Maryville High School for 18 years, where he led the Red Rebels to a 250-16 record, 15 trips to the BlueCross State Championship, and 11 TSSAA State titles. From 2004-08, Maryville went on a 74-game winning streak and secured four-consecutive state titles. Later, that streak was answered by 44-straight wins from 2013-15. The Red Rebels had eight undefeated seasons under Quarles’ guidance and lost only nine times in his last 249 games. He was a seven-time State Coach of the Year, the Tennessee Titans Coach of the Year in 2005, and the PrepXtra Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2013. Quarles was inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame in 2018.
1995-98: Served as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and defensive backs coach during his first four seasons at Maryville.
Eastside High School (1992-94)
1992-94: Served as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and defensive backs coach at Eastside High School in Taylors, South Carolina, for three seasons.
Cedar Shoals High School (1991)
1991: Began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Georgia.
Furman (1989-90)
1989-90: A graduate assistant for Furman for two seasons, working with defensive backs and coordinating scout-team offense. During his first season on the sideline, the Paladins went 12-2 and 7-0 in SoCon play, winning their seventh SoCon Championship of the 1980s. After starting the 1989 season 0-2, Furman won 12 straight games to advance to the NCAA I-AA Playoffs before falling to Stephen F. Austin. The 1989 season capped off a decade in which Furman finished as the nation’s most successful NCAA I-AA football program with a 95-25-4 record and .780 winning percentage. In 1990, Furman won its third-straight SoCon Championship after finishing 9-4 with a 6-1 mark in conference play.
COLLEGIATE PLAYING CAREER (1985-88)
Quarles was a two-year letterman at Furman. Led the Paladins with 18 receptions for 295 yards as a senior in 1988 and helped lead the program to a 13-2 record, its first of three-straight SoCon Championships, and the NCAA I-AA national title. He caught a 42-yard touchdown in the championship game against Marshall, which helped lead to the 13-9 victory.
