Quarles ready for ‘fresh start’ at Webb
Two Spartan football helmets sit under a television, and on the white board, players’ last names are scrawled in black marker with each group separated by class.
The decor is minimal, yet Quarles appears right at home in his new digs.
After leading Maryville to 11 state titles in 18 years as head coach and spending almost a decade with three different college programs, the Jefferson County graduate is ready for a fresh start in a setting that is all too familiar.
“The biggest thing to me is the mountains,” he said with a smile. “Whether it’s down Alcoa Highway or Pellissippi going back toward Maryville, just seeing those mountains calms me down and makes me feel good.
“It’s just the right time for me to come back and do this. And we have so many friends that live here, so that’s been a good part for us. It has been really nice to be back home.”
In his return to East Tennessee, the 58-year-old is tasked with leading a Webb program that is looking to return to prominence in Division II-AA.
He comes armed with fresh knowledge, having seen firsthand the dawn of the transfer portal in assistant roles at Furman (his alma mater) and Austin-Peay with two years as head coach at East Tennessee State sandwiched in-between.
Quarles said the evolution of the college game made him appreciate the purity of the high school ranks that much more. But his start at Webb comes right as the portal effect seeps into the prep level, too.
“It’s kind of what high school football has become,” Quarles said with a shrug. “I don’t know if I like it or not, but it is what it is.“
That could play to the advantage of a Webb program that dealt with a thin roster and plenty of injuries last year. Those effects led to a 1-9 campaign, resulting in former coach Don Mahoney’s departure just two years removed from back-to-back 10-win seasons.
The move prompted Webb to inquire about Quarles’ interest when he was in the midst of his second season as Austin-Peay’s tight ends coach. Initially, Quarles waved off the approach; but once he visited the campus and connected with the Webb administration, the idea became reality.
“At first, I didn’t think it would work out since I was trying to finish my retirement, and I kind of dismissed it,” Quarles admitted. “They called back and had something worked out, so I came up the day before Thanksgiving. Had a great interview and felt like this could be something that might work. Then I brought my wife and sons back probably a week and a half later to make sure the commitment level was there to be successful and win games and do it the right way.”
Upon their return, one of Quarles’ sons pointed out that Webb’s campus looked like Furman University. Beyond the place, though, it was the people who sold him on the job.
“There’s a great commitment from the president all the way down,” he said. “We felt a genuine excitement about us being here. And the facilities are second to none.”
After officially starting Monday, Jan. 5, Quarles is looking to put the rest of his staff in place before spring practice while building a roster to compete in a tough East Region in Division II-AA.
The first step in that process is easy. Mahoney — who led Tennessee’s offensive line under Butch Jones before
going to Webb — is staying on to coach the Spartans’ front five.
“I think it says a lot about him that he’s willing to come back,” Quarles said. “Those guys love him, so I’m really excited about that. And I think it says a lot about the culture at Webb that he wants to come back, too.”
Quarles noted he wants to move deliberately with the hiring process of other staffers.
He did, however, emphasize the need for a skilled defensive coordinator since he wants to run and call the offense like he did at Maryville and Furman, where he was an associate head coach.
“People have asked me what kind of offense we will run,” he said. “I don’t know. I want to see what we can do. I want to see where we are at different positions before I say that we will do one thing or another. You have to fit your system to what your players can do, not the other way around.”
After building the staff, Quarles’ overall roster queries may not be as simple to solve.
“I’ve watched some of the film. Numbers are a little low, and we need more just to practice,” he said. “That’s one of the challenges is to grow the roster. We have to get more kids in the hallway that might be playing other sports.”
When the season arrives, Webb will be competing with improved programs such as Christian Academy of Knoxville and Grace Christian.
There will be another familiar face on the schedule too, as Quarles will once again face off against former Alcoa coach Gary Rankin, who’s now at Boyd Buchanan.
From 2006 to 2016, the pair clashed 11 times in the Battle of Pistol Creek between Alcoa and Maryville.
“It will be good,” he said of facing Rankin again. “We’re friends and I’ve got a ton of respect for him. We’re both at the end of our careers, or at least in the fourth quarter. He’s done a great job down there. Then here, Grace Christian and CAK. For a long time, Webb was the school. Now Grace has taken off and CAK has had success.”
Quarles called those surges “a wake-up call” for his new program. If that is indeed the case, then the office decor may need to wait. Quarles has work to do first.
“Whatever ability the players have and I have, we want to max them out,” he said. “My goal is to make these guys and this team the best we can possibly be. We’ve got no excuses with everything here, so there is a lot to be excited about and thankful for.”
