NC State senior quarterback Grayson McCall announced his farewell to playing football Wednesday, after suffering a pair of concussions this season.
The Coastal Carolina transfer also had his 2023 season cut short after suffering a concussion against Arkansas State on Oct. 21.
McCall suffered his first concussion this season against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 14, and he missed playing at Clemson and against Northern Illinois. He returned to the starting lineup against Wake Forest and disaster struck.
McCall went 53-of-80 passing for 518 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions this season for the Wolfpack.
McCall finishes his decorated career with 10,523 passing yards, 91 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, plus 1,166 rushing yards and 18 scores.
McCall took a vicious hit from multiple Wake Forest defenders Oct. 5 at Carter-Finley Stadium. He had his helmet and the football go flying, and was immediately on the ground. He was taken off on a cart and signaled he was able to move around, and taken to the hospital.
Freshman quarterback Cedrick Bailey replaced him in both instances he missed time, and has started the last two games. With the Wolfpack on a bye week, McCall was able to announce his football retirement, and the squad is officially Bailey’s for the rest of the season. Redshirt freshman Lex Thomas is the backup quarterback.
NC State had immediately targeted McCall when he entered the portal last winter. He officially visited NCSU and Central Florida on back-to-back trips, before picking the Wolfpack.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound McCall emerged his second year at Coastal Carolina under coach Jamey Caldwell. The Chanticleers went 11-1 with the lone loss against Liberty in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl. McCall played in 11 of 12 games and went 172-of-250 passing for 2,488 yards, 26 touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 111 carries for 569 yards and seven yards.
McCall played in 11 of 13 games in 2020, and Coastal Carolina went 11-2 with a win over Northern Illinois in the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl. He threw for 2,558 yards, 23 touchdowns and three interceptions, and added 250 yards and four scores on the ground.
McCall and Caldwell had their swan song in 2022, with the latter becoming the coach at Liberty in 2023. McCall threw for 2,700 yards, 24 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He added six rushing scores. McCall played in 11 of the 13 games, but the Chanticleers fell 53-29 to East Carolina in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.
Former NC State offensive coordinator Tim Beck took over for Caldwell and McCall threw for 1,919 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions before he suffered his serious concussion.
McCall was a Rivals.com two-star prospect coming out of Indian Trail (N.C.) Porter Ridge High. Coastal Carolina, Army and Tennessee-Chattanooga were among his prep offers. His team was a run-dominated offense, and he went 86-of-156 passing for 1,337 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions his senior year in 2018. He rushed 175 times for 1,460 yards and 21 scores.
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