Kelcy Quarles (born January 23, 1992) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

who is a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, and was signed by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2014. Quarles has also been a member of the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

, and

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

College career

As a junior in 2013, Quarles was a first-team All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

(SEC) and second-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n selection. and was an All-American by ''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

''.

Professional career

New York Giants

On May 10, 2014, Quarles signed with the

as an undrafted

New England Patriots

On August 31, 2014, the

claimed Quarles off waivers from the Giants.

Indianapolis Colts

On September 16, 2014, the

signed Quarles from the

practice squad. In his first NFL game he recorded a sack. He was waived on November 24, 2014, and re-signed to the practice squad on November 25. On September 5, 2015, Quarles was waived by the Colts.

New England Patriots (II)

The New England Patriots signed Quarles back to their practice squad on December 2, 2015. They released him on December 15, 2015.

Indianapolis Colts (II)

On December 18, 2015, the Indianapolis Colts announced they had signed Quarles to their practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on December 21. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Colts as part of final roster cuts. On September 4, 2016, he was signed to the Colts practice squad. Quarles was released on September 13. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 19, 2016. He was released by the Colts on December 2, 2016. He was re-signed back to the practice squad on December 20, 2016.

Calgary Stampeders

Quarles signed with the

of the CFL on January 19, 2018. He was released before the start of the regular season on June 10.

Edmonton Eskimos

Quarles signed a futures contract with the

on November 9, 2018. He spent the 2019 season on the team's

practice roster In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Quarles signed a futures contract with the

on November 1, 2019. He was released on February 17, 2021.

Personal life

Quarles is the nephew of Patriots Hall of Fame

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

Ben Coates Benjamin Terrence Coates, Jr. (born August 16, 1969) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Livingstone and was ...

. It is through his mother, Mattie Quarles (née Coates) that he is related to

. Quarles' father, Buddy Quarles, played for the South Carolina Gamecocks for coach Joe Morrison from 1984-1987 as an offensive lineman. Quarles initially played as an offensive lineman before switching to defensive around eight grade, however Buddy continued to teach him the tips and tricks of offensive linemen so that he would know what to look for.

References

External links

South Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quarles, Kelcy 1992 births Living people People from Greenwood County, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American football defensive tackles South Carolina Gamecocks football players New York Giants players New England Patriots players Indianapolis Colts players Cleveland Browns players Calgary Stampeders players Edmonton Elks players Saskatchewan Roughriders players