North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall announced he is retiring from football on Wednesday night, just under three weeks after a serious hit caused him to leave a game for the second time this season.
McCall was a sixth-year player and a graduate transfer after a record-setting five years at Coastal Carolina, where he passed for over 10,000 yards but faced concussion issues.
He was injured in the game against Louisiana Tech on September 14, and in his first game back, he had to leave the field on a cart after a hard hit during the first quarter against Wake Forest on October 5. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
“As you all know I have battled injuries my whole career, but this is one that I cannot come back from,” McCall wrote in an Instagram post.
“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.”
McCall grew up in Indian Trail and was a three-star recruit from Porter Ridge High School. At Coastal Carolina, he threw for 10,005 yards in 42 games, with 88 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.
He was named the Sun Belt Conference player of the year in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and he threw a touchdown pass in 23 consecutive games over two seasons.
“From Porter Ridge to Conway and this past year in Raleigh, this journey has been better than any dream I could’ve ever envisioned,” McCall wrote. “This game has taken me places I never thought I would go, and has shaped my family and I in ways I never imagined. I have made so many memories that will stay with me forever, and I am so grateful for that.”
