The oldest of four children, including two brothers, Quinnelly was raised in the Mobile suburb of Daphne, Ala. Maybe not a place where you would expect to find too many followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon religion. When asked if he’d ever been to the Gulf Shores, sort of that state’s coastline answer to New Jersey’s Wildwoods, he quickly replied with a sheepish grin: “All the time…but don’t tell anyone.” Fair enough.

Quinnelly was a two-time team captain, an all-county selection, a Class president, a Red Cross volunteer, a Food Bank volunteer and a Principal’s Advisory Committee member. So he tried to lead his life the right way. Which is why, upon graduation, he put everything on hold to serve a two-year church mission in Utah. He’s certainly not the only one who’s ever done that, but that hardly matters. He was willing to push his future back in an attempt to spread the Word and hopefully help others find something they might have been missing.

Football took a backseat during this journey. It was all part of the deal.

“I just felt it was worth it,” Quinnelly said. “I was being recruited by a number of teams. Penn was not among them. I didn’t even know where the school was. The only time I’d been to Pennsylvania was a trip to Pittsburgh. So I don’t know how much that counts.

“Football’s real important in Alabama,” he continued. “But it wasn’t like (Alabama coach) Nick Saban was banging down my door, you know … Not everyone serves (a mission). But it’s there for you if you want it. When I turned in my papers, I put in that I kind of preferred stateside. I could hit the ground running. A lot of people spend a lot of time learning a language (if they go overseas). I loved the Salt Lake Valley. That’s where the (Mormon) headquarters are. It’s beautiful out there.

“I would go around every day to meet and talk with people. Trying to teach them, introduce them to God. We’d get up at 6 in the morning, be out from like 9 to 6 at night, and then eat dinner. Monday morning we would prepare for the week (ahead).

Quinnelly acknowledged that while there were seldom language issues during his house calls, on occasion the way that language was spoken could prove to be a bit of a barrier.

“There’s definitely some hard times,” he said. “You’re there for a purpose, and I’m from Alabama, the Bible Belt. They’d hear my accent and go, ‘Where are you from?!’ But then we’d strike up a conversation. The main goal wasn’t necessarily to convince them to join the church. It’s more helping your relationship with God and ‘can I help? I’d love to help.’”

It’s not for everyone. Not even every Mormon. But it was the path he chose. And there’s not one regret. In fact, quite the opposite.

“It was probably the best thing I’ve ever done, or may ever do,” Quinnelly went on. “Definitely the people I met, I knew I was supposed to meet. I’ve kept in touch with a bunch of them. I’m not going to lie. This is great (now). But that was a dream of mine, to give back to the Lord. I wasn’t perfect, but I tried my best. You have to put yourself to the side and say, ‘Hey, I want to help you come closer to Christ.’ That’s all that mattered.

“You have to carry yourself a certain way, every day,” he concluded. “You have to show what being a good person can be and mean. Love everyone like God would. They’re going to know you love them. That’s what I was trying to convey to people.”

If nothing else, he exudes sincerity. Yet it comes without being preachy or pushy, which can become uncomfortable and isn’t so easy to pull off. It’s a fine line one learns to navigate. Even now.

“Coming to Penn, I was definitely used to being a minority,” he readily acknowledged. “I mean, I was a Mormon in Alabama. People come to this campus from all over the world. They have all kinds of backgrounds. I found a good group of people on campus who are part of my faith. Also, with the guys on my team, it was just an understanding that I respect everyone and they respect me. Some of the best people in life are Atheists, or any number of other religions.

“I just believe in timing,” he said. “It can’t always be perfect timing. And timing can be what you make it. I went through an (offensive coordinator) change. I was trying to learn an offense. I had to develop relationships with someone who didn’t recruit me. Another example is going through last year with the Coronavirus. It was one thing after another. I chalk it up to it was finally my time. It was coming. I prayed a lot. I talked to my family a lot. Faith is everything to us. On the field, I have faith in my teammates and myself. I count on it all the time.”

Quinnelly still had to win the starting QB spot after incumbent Ryan Glover opted to transfer to a program that was actually playing. Which probably makes perfect sense, considering the roundabout way he ended up in West Philadelphia in the first place.

His father had sent out tapes of him playing, and former Quaker OC John Reagan happened to see it. As it turns out, quite by accident.

“It was kind of a miracle,” Quinnelly recalled. “He normally didn’t click on highlight tapes, but he clicked on his one. And he ended up flying out to Utah. We had like a four-hour conversation. He believed in me. That meant a lot to me. But he needed a commitment right then. I didn’t even know where the school was. I’d never heard of Franklin Field. I did make a visit after that. But now that I look back upon it, it was a little crazy how it all took place.”

Four years later, things have obviously worked out, for everyone. Maybe this stuff really does happen for a reason.

Kevin Morris runs the offense these days. And what he sees is an extremely mature young man who’s very much in control of himself and his surroundings.

“It’s definitely a process,” Morris explained. “He’s just evolved. He knew the job was wide open. So he was like, ‘it’s go time.’ He really wanted it. He stepped up. He had to. The quarterback position was a competition, all through the spring and summer. John played at a higher level than the other guys and had more consistency. It was his time.

“Being a little older, he doesn’t get distracted by maybe some things you might worry about. At this point he’s all in. And he took advantage of the situation.

“He’s a great kid to talk to,” Morris said. “He’s had some life experiences, and he’s still in college. He’s got some grounded beliefs and strong values, and it comes through. I don’t think he’s overwhelmed by this in the least. He’s calm in the moment. He’s just trying to enjoy it, especially for a guy who’s playing for the first time in like five or six years.

“I think the kids look at him as a leader,” he went on. “But he still had to prove it. And he did. They know they can count on him, for whatever. He’s a different animal. He’s not a pied piper, or a rah-rah guy. But when he talks, they listen. And when he commits to something, he goes after it.”

Okay, so it didn’t happen in a straight line. Which of course only makes the story that much more satisfying. And indelible.

“The people around me rely on me, and I rely on them,” Quinnelly stressed. “It can’t be just about the quarterback. We have to pick each other up if we want to grow together.

“My dad instilled in me, you’re not a sheep, you’re a shepherd. So I’ve always tried to take a leading role, in everything I do. But nobody can ever do it by themselves. There are different platforms to bring people to Christ. It’s been proven time and time again, if you put the Lord first in your life, things are going to work out. That’s just my personal belief, one that I’ve always held on to. None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t gone on the mission.

“It’s there for everyone. You don’t have to do it. But at some point in your life you’re going to have questions you can’t answer. You have to lean on something to get you through. That’s what religion does for me. It gives me hope.