NC State coach Dave Doeren updates QB Grayson McCall’s status after concussion vs. Wake Forest

After departing from NC State’s 34-30 loss in the first quarter due to a hit to the head that sent him to the hospital, Wolfpack graduate quarterback Grayson McCall is “in good spirits” after being released to his family, coach Dave Doeren said Monday. 

“All the scans they did came back clean,” said Doeren, who thought the injury was the scariest moment in his 30 years of coaching college football. “He’s in the concussion protocol and we’ll give him time to go through all the steps he wants to go through before we talk anymore about what the next steps are.”

McCall was diagnosed with a concussion and avoided any further injuries to his head, Doeren said.

Doeren added he visited the hospital after the game to see McCall, who had not seen the video of the hit at the time. McCall admitted to his coach he thought about sliding, but he told Doeren that he didn’t want to do that.

“He’s given the game so much,” Doeren said. “He’s just such a competitor, such a warrior. I know myself and everybody around here, we were pulling hard for him. It’s just not what you expected in a game.” 

McCall returned to the starting lineup after he missed the previous two games with an undisclosed injury. He was then re-injured against the Demon Deacons as he tried to run on the Pack’s seventh offensive play of the game, but appeared to be hit by two defenders at the same time. 

The Indian Trail, N.C., native lost his helmet on impact and did not get up after the hit. The NC State training staff immediately ran onto the field during play to tend to the quarterback. He was down for several minutes as the medical staff prepared to load McCall onto the cart. 

McCall was eventually placed on a backboard without his facemask, while his jersey appeared to be cut from his body. Once he was put on the back of the cart, McCall was seen hugging his parents, who made it onto the field, before being driven off. 

As McCall exited Carter-Finley Stadium, he raised his left hand to the crowd before being transported to WakeMed hospital for further evaluation. Doeren said once McCall “came to” on the field, he was talking and said, “I want the boys to win the game.”

The Coastal Carolina transfer was 3-of-5 passing for 42 yards, while he added one carry for nine yards before he left the game injured. 

Doeren said McCall “went through the entire protocol” last week to return to play from his previous injury this season against Wake Forest. The Pack’s 12th-year coach said that a player will not lose his job to an injury, which is why McCall started against the Demon Deacons. 

“[He] was cleared and had a great week of practice,” Doeren said postgame. “He’s our starting quarterback. He’s a captain. … He was ready to play and he took a really vicious hit. Sometimes football is a very violent sport, at times, and that was a big hit that he took.”

McCall was evaluated at the hospital and was released Saturday evening after all scans came back normal. The quarterback has a history of head injuries, including a concussion that ended his 2023 season, leaving him to think about quitting the sport at the time. 

“It’s surreal that at any moment it can be taken away from you,” McCall said at ACC Media Days in July. “Just completely changed my mindset. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to wake up and walk in the building. It’s something I’m grateful for.”

While Doeren said he will let McCall and his family go through the recovery process before talking about playing football again, the 12th-year coach said he is comfortable making a decision of holding a player off the field if he deems it unsafe. 

“I’m always going to start with the doctors and the family and the young man. Obviously, if I felt that way, I have no problem making that call,” Doeren said. “I have three sons and I would want them to be treated the same way that I’m going to treat these guys. … I have no problem making that decision if that’s where we end up.”

“But the steps are not head coach first,” Doeren said. “It’s the medical team, family and then bring the head coach in and see where we’re at.”