Who is Grayson McCall? What you need to know about NC State’s quarterback against Tennessee
The clash of the top 25 college football teams on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium between No. 12 Tennessee and No. 23 NC State will feature a duel between two starting quarterbacks who are in their first year for their respective teams.
But despite that fact, the Wolfpack quarterback has been around for some time – just not at NC State.
That’s where Grayson McCall comes in, a graduate student quarterback entering his sixth season of college football. To put that in perspective, Vols starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava was just starting high school when McCall began his freshman season in college in 2019.
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McCall completed 25 of 40 (65%) passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolfpack’s season-opening win over Western Carolina last week.
Now, under the spotlight of national television, he faces perhaps the biggest test of his career on the Vols’ defense, which allowed just three points against Chattanooga in Week 1 last week.
Here’s more on the NC State quarterback who faces Tennessee in the Duke Mayo Classic on Saturday:
Who is Grayson McCall?
Grayson McCall is in his first season as NC State’s starting quarterback after being the starting quarterback at Coastal Carolina for the past four seasons.
In his four seasons as the Chanticleers’ starting quarterback, McCall led Coastal Carolina to a 35-10 overall record and a Sun Belt Conference title in 2000. In addition, he led Coastal Carolina – which has only had a program since 2017 – to three bowl games during his tenure, including a victory over Northern Illinois in the 2021 Cure Bowl.
A native of Indian Trail, North Carolina, about a three-hour drive from NC State’s campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, he set a Sun Belt Conference record in 2022 when he was named the conference’s Player of the Year for the third consecutive year after throwing for 2,700 yards with 24 touchdowns during his redshirt junior season.
At Coastal Carolina, McCall only played in seven games last season after suffering a season-ending injury. McCall threw for 1,919 yards and 10 touchdowns last season before his injury, while also rushing for 48 yards on 53 carries and one rushing touchdown.
Where did Grayson McCall move from?
McCall transferred from Coastal Carolina to NC State in the offseason after spending five seasons in Conway, South Carolina.
According to ESPN, he entered the transfer portal on Nov. 29. McCall was listed as a three-star recruit and the No. 20 quarterback in the transfer portal, according to his 247Sports Composite rankings.
He announced his commitment to NC State on December 13 on X (formerly Twitter).
“I’m incredibly happy to be here. It’s a dream come true for me to play at the Power Five level in the ACC. I grew up and loved watching ACC football,” McCall said in January after joining the Wolfpack.
“As a kid from Charlotte, this is something I really envisioned as an adult. Obviously, my career at Coastal has given me the opportunity to come here and play. It’s going to be a challenge. This conference is very tough, but at the same time, I know we can be very competitive. We have the tools, we have the coaching staff, we have all the resources we need to be extremely successful. I’m excited for the challenge.”
Grayson McCall Statistics
Here is a breakdown of McCall’s stats throughout his career by year:
- 2024 (NC State): 26 of 40 passes for 318 yards with three touchdowns and one interception; five runs for 16 rushing yards
- 2023 (Coastal Carolina): 151 of 224 passes for 1,919 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions; 53 runs for 48 rushing yards with one rushing touchdown
- 2022 (Coastal Carolina): 207 of 297 passes for 2,700 yards with 24 touchdowns and two interceptions; 91 runs for 195 rushing yards with six rushing touchdowns
- 2021 (Coastal Carolina): 176 of 241 passes for 2,873 yards with 27 touchdowns and three interceptions; 93 runs for 290 rushing yards with four rushing touchdowns
- 2020 (Coastal Carolina): 172 of 250 passes for 2,488 yards with 26 touchdowns and three interceptions; 111 runs for 569 rushing yards with seven rushing touchdowns
- 2019 (Coastal Carolina): 4 of 4 passes for 25 yards with one touchdown; two runs for 11 rushing yards
