Dave Doeren raves over what Grayson McCall brings to NC State: 'He's a winner'

The NC State Wolfpack and head coach Dave Doeren made the decision to enter the Transfer Portal to find stability at the quarterback position. They came out with a veteran in Grayson McCall who previously starred at Coastal Carolina.

While at ACC Media Days, Doeren raved over McCall and what he brings to NC State at the quarterback position.

“He’s a winner. He’s won multiple, multiple championships. Player of the year three times. 10,000-yard passer. He’s also a local guy that didn’t get recruited by the ACC coming out of high school. So, this is a year for him to show what kind of player he is.”

Grayson McCall was at Coastal Carolina between 2019 and 2023. He took a redshirt while playing in two games in 2019 before every player got an extra season in 2020. Along the way, he became one of the best quarterbacks in the Sun Belt. He finished his time with the Chanticleers with a 69.9 completion percentage, 10,005 yards, and 88 touchdowns through the air. He also ran for 1,113 yards and 18 touchdowns. Along the way, he was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year three times.

All of that success at Coastal Carolina came despite the fact that Grayson McCall was underrecruited out of high school. He was a three-star recruit and the 156th-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

“To have a guy as proven as Grayson is with the chip on his shoulder at the same time is hard to find. It really is. I’m excited for him. Grateful that he came to our program because he had other options. Excited that his family gets to be so close and a part of the last year of his journey at college.”

Dave Doeren also pointed out that he noticed the chip on Grayson McCall’s shoulders as soon as the two met. It’s that chip, he believes, that helps McCall raise his game when the lights get brighter.

“Right away. The conversation. You know, ‘Coach I want to come home and show the rest of the schools that they missed.’ Just how he goes about his work. The thing that you notice is he’s ready for practice. When he steps on the field, he’s ready,” Doeren said.

“When you get into scrimmages and move the ball situations, there’s another thing that happens and he really understands how to compete and raise his level of play. When you watch his career, some of his best games were in the biggest games. He’s done that a lot.”

Grayson McCall will have one season to show what he can do at NC State. That starts with a game against Western Carolina on August 29th.