CJ Bailey to start at quarterback for NC State vs. Clemson, Grayson McCall out

NC State will start true freshman CJ Bailey at quarterback this weekend against Clemson, Dave Doeren told reporters on Monday. The news was reported by The Wolfpacker.

Bailey is starting in place of Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall, who was injured this past weekend against Louisiana Tech. Doeren said that McCall is “day-to-day” and dealing with an undisclosed injury, per The Wolfpacker.

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CJ Bailey is a Hollywood, Florida native who was rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 27 quarterback in the country in the class of 2024, per the On3 Industry rankings.

As a senior at Chaminade-Madonna Prep he threw for 3,125 and 47 touchdowns. For his high school career, he finished with 9,005 passing yards and 116 touchdowns.

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Bailey played much of last week’s NC State game with Louisiana Tech after Grayson McCall was injured. He was 13 of 20 passing for 156 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 27 yards and a score as NC State earned a 30-20 come-from-behind victory.

Getting his first college start at Clemson is obviously a tough task for Bailey. The Tigers have one of the best defenses in college football, led by a dynamic front seven that will attempt to put plenty of pressure on the young QB.

Clemson is 2-0 on the season and coming off of a bye week. The Tigers lost to Georgia in Atlanta to open the year, before pounding Appalachian State in Week 2.

As for NC State, the Wolfpack enter the matchup with the Tigers with a 2-1 record. NC State has wins over Western Carolina and Louisiana Tech, but the Pack also were blown out by Tennessee in Week 2, falling 51-10.

More on NC State quarterback Grayson McCall

Grayson McCall left the NC State game against Louisiana Tech midway through the second quarter and did not return. The Wolfpack announced not long after he was injured that he would not be returning to the game.

Earlier in his football career, McCall led Coastal Carolina to a standout 11-1 season in his first year under center for Coastal Carolina. He went on to be one of the most efficient and decorated quarterbacks in college football, amassing three Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year awards to his name and over 10,000 yards of total offense and 100 touchdowns in his career. Many believed he had the potential to apparently be the next great quarterback for the Wolfpack.

“The offense is what held them back last year, the quarterback position in particular, and I think Grayson McCall going to NC State is one of the least talked about giant transfers in the country,” Roddy Jones of the ACC Network said earlier this offseason, regarding McCall. “And this a guy that was an absolute baller at Coastal Carolina, multi-time player of the year in that conference. I mean he captured our hearts and minds, that team did a few years ago in 2020.”

It remains to be seen how much time McCall will miss and if he is indeed able to come back and lead NC State to a strong season.