NC State quarterback Grayson McCall is having to medically retire from football.
The former Coastal Carolina QB announced his retirement on Instagram Wednesday night. McCall has been out since he suffered a concussion and was carted off the field on a stretcher following a hit against Wake Forest on Oct. 5.
“Unfortunately, my dream has been cut just short,” McCall wrote. “As you all know I have battled injuries my whole career, but this is one that I cannot come back from. I have done everything I can to continue, but this is where the good Lord has called me to serve in a different space. Brain specialists, my family, and I have come to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to hang the cleats up.”
“As I feel like my whole world is being taken from me, I feel some sense of contentment. Every time my feet hit the grass, I left every single ounce of myself on that field. I always played my hardest and to the best of my ability because I never knew what play would be my last. I have no regrets throughout my career and that is something I can be proud of.”
The concussion McCall suffered against Wake Forest was at least his second in 13 months. In October of 2023, McCall suffered a concussion after he was knocked out while sliding and his head hit the turf.
That play was his last at Coastal Carolina as he transferred after the season and came to North Carolina State. At NC State, he left the team’s game on Sept. 14 early with what the team had said was an undisclosed injury. The game against the Demon Deacons was McCall’s first game back on the field since then.
McCall was one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football during his time at Coastal Carolina. As a sophomore in 2021, he completed 73% of his passes for 2,873 yards and 27 TDs. In five seasons with the Chanticleers, he threw for 10,005 yards and 88 TDs to just 14 interceptions.
In parts of four games at NC State, McCall was 53-of-80 for 518 yards and three TDs with two interceptions. CJ Bailey has been starting in McCall’s absence as the Wolfpack are 4-4 through the first nine weeks of the season.