NC State quarterback Grayson McCall is medically retiring from football.
The former Coastal Carolina QB announced his retirement on Instagram Wednesday night. McCall has been out since suffering a concussion and was stretchered off the field following a hit against Wake Forest on Oct. 5.
“Unfortunately, my dream has been cut short,” McCall wrote. “As everyone knows, I have battled injuries my entire career, but this is a situation I cannot recover from. I have done my best to continue, but this is where the good Lord has called me to serve in a different space. “The brain specialists, my family and I have come to the conclusion that the best thing for me is to hang up.”
“As I feel like my whole world is being taken away from me, I feel a certain satisfaction. Every time my feet touched the grass, I left every ounce of me on that field. I always played my best and the best I could because I never knew what the last play would be. 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 2023, McCall suffered a concussion after being knocked out while sliding and his head hit the grass.
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 early on September 14 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 touchdowns with just 14 interceptions.
In parts of four games at NC State, McCall was 53 of 80 for 518 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. CJ Bailey has started in McCall’s absence as the Wolfpack is 4-4 through the first nine weeks of the season.