A promising start for Quincy Carter in first game as head coach
ATHENS — On a field just a few miles from the stadium where he once elicited seismic roars, a new and hopeful chapter of Quincy Carter’s life began in earnest.
The former Georgia star quarterback, whose life’s journey has scaled soaring heights and plumbed humbling depths, was on the sideline for his first game as a head coach, leading Heritage High of Conyers against Cedar Shoals High on Friday night.
Beneath the lights of Cedar Shoals’ Waters-Wilkins Stadium — not far from where Carter starred for the Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium from 1998 to 2000, and actually neighboring an apartment complex he lived in as a collegian — the visiting Patriots made a statement with a 38-14 win over the Jaguars in the season opener in a matchup of Class 6A teams.
“I just think (Friday), we really showed that we wanted it,” Patriots quarterback Jaycob Jones told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Having a really bad season last year, we showed that we wanted it more than them.”
If briefly, Jones’ coach embraced the larger significance of the moment.
“It’s big,” Carter said of the day’s importance in his life. “It’s hard for me to enjoy things long. I’m so goal-oriented and I know what I want, I know what kind of team we’ve got. And so to me right now, sad to say, as great as this feeling is, I’m still thinking about what’s up next week.”
Carter was named Heritage’s coach in December after serving as a community coach at the school in 2025. That followed two years as a community coach at his alma mater, Southwest DeKalb High, which he led to a Class 4A state championship in 1995.
The graying crown of hair encircled by his visor testified to the turns that Carter has navigated in his 48 years — a high school All-American; an attempt at professional baseball; a prolific career with the Bulldogs for coach Jim Donnan; a four-year NFL career (including starting 31 games for the Dallas Cowboys) shortened by substance abuse; years of fighting addiction before finally overcoming; and finally his entry into coaching.
Carter said he had always wanted to be a coach, and that his personal trials only deepened his mission in working with young people as they wrestle with substance abuse, mental health issues, and the perils of social media and smartphones.
“You don’t want them to have to (struggle), but to be able to go through some things, by the grace of God him getting me back on my feet, working my butt off and then doing something that I wanted to do and loved to do anyway, but now doing it with more purpose and meaning, it just means the world to me,” Carter told the AJC on Friday morning.
Carter took over a team that went 1-9 last season and hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2019 or finished with a winning record (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season) since 2017.
He’s done the big things, like building a coaching staff (including defensive coordinator Willie Clay, the former Georgia Tech star and NFL veteran), working with the booster club, and implementing a strength and conditioning plan.
“We haven’t had a lot of success here lately, but I’ll be the first one to tell you,” Carter said. “I’m singing it loud — we’ve got players here.”
He’s also doing the smaller things. Friday morning, he was assembling wristbands with play calls on them. That night, in a moment of confusion before kickoff, he had to signal the cheerleaders to lead the team onto the field.
Said athletic director Dorian Powell-Harris, “Everyone loves Coach Carter.”
Before the game, he gave a speech that borrowed from his mentor Buck Godfrey, the coaching legend at Southwest DeKalb who died Aug. 1 at the age of 83.
“I just gave one of those, ‘Hey, why do I need to get you fired up on the first game of the year?’” Carter said.
In a matchup of two teams trying to elevate themselves (Cedar Shoals last won a game in 2023), Heritage was easily the better. The Patriots stopped Cedar Shoals’ run game, moved the ball with a multifaceted offense and had the edge in special teams.
Having played for three Hall of Fame coaches — Godfrey, Donnan and Bill Parcells — he’s learned a few things.
As offensive play-caller, Carter showed off an offense that, in a matter of one drive, used multiple formations and personnel packages, operated from under center, out of shotgun and in a Wildcat formation. With the score tied at 14 in the second quarter, he made a daring call to go for it on fourth-and-13 from the Cedar Shoals 41-yard line and then converted with a 21-yard pass play. The drive led to a go-ahead touchdown for Heritage.
“We had our ball rolling a little bit and I kind of felt the momentum of it,” Carter said. “Jaycob rolled out and made a heck of a play.”
There is plenty to work on. Skirmishes between the teams resulted in player ejections on both sides. Tempers ran so hot that the postgame handshake was called off.
But Quincy Carter is 1-0 as a head coach. As he moves further away from his personal struggles — he celebrated seven years of sobriety in July — every win is worth celebrating.
You can now get my column sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter here.