NC State QB Grayson McCall continuing to build chemistry with Wolfpack

When Coastal Carolina transfer quarterback Grayson McCall arrived at NC State for his official visit in December, he sat down with Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren. It was not a matter of whether or not NC State was interested in the signal-caller’s services, rather it was all about building a relationship between the two parties. 

“In his case, a three-time Player of the Year in that league, he didn’t have to sell himself to us,” Doeren said this week. “It was more about getting to know each other at that point. … And just making sure in his last year that he had the right fit. He compared us to two other schools, he was diligent about it and wanted to make sure it was the right situation.”

It ended up being the right fit with McCall’s commitment being made public five days after he visited the Wolfpack. Now, the quarterback has hit the field with the NC State logo on his chest and helmet for the first time during the team’s spring practice slate. 

This is McCall’s first time in a new program since he spent his first five seasons with the Chanticleers in Conway, S.C., and it has been a learning experience to this point. 

“It’s just learning a new offense, a new system, new terminology and taking new coaching,” McCall said after his first practice with the Pack. “It’s been awesome so far. The transition here was really smooth, being able to sit in those meetings and get into the playbook a little bit before we got out there. It’s going to be a process, but I felt like it was smooth. Going to keep learning and keep working.”

McCall, an accomplished quarterback at Coastal Carolina, threw for 10,005 yards with 88 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a four-year starter with the Chanticleers. He has been around the block and knows what he needs to do as a collegiate signal-caller. 

Redshirt junior wide receiver Dacari Collins thought McCall has done a superb job at taking a leadership role with the Wolfpack, even though he showed up to campus in early January. 

“The first day he got here, he was just showing characteristics of leadership, and I think that’s big for our team,” Collins said. “It’s big for everybody. It’s going to help us just having the guy who is very confident in that role.”

Collins, a former Clemson transfer, was not alone in that thinking. Wake Forest transfer wideout Wesley Grimes has also witnessed McCall’s willingness to get to know everyone on the team, especially the players he will be throwing to every day in the fall. 

Grimes compared McCall’s experience similar to that of Sam Hartman, who was a dominant quarterback at Wake Forest before he transferred to Notre Dame before last season.

“Besides Sam, Grayson’s the oldest, veteran-type quarterback I’ve played with,” Grimes said. “He’s very mature, handles himself in a great way, but he’s also really cool. We talk a lot, eat lunch. We’ve been getting to know each other better. The chemistry is getting better, not just with me, but the whole receiving corps.”

While McCall has worked on building chemistry with his wide receivers, it seems that has already started to pay off on the practice field. 

Senior cornerback Aydan White, the Wolfpack’s lockdown defender on the outside, has seen McCall’s arm up close. He noted that the Pack’s new signal-caller has impressed him to this point of the practice schedule. 

“I’d say he’s definitely a veteran quarterback, you can tell that in my first couple days out there,” White said. “He’ll look you off, look like he’s throwing the underneath [pass], but end up throwing the deep seven cutter or the go ball. I’m excited for him and what he can show.”

Though McCall is a proven passer, he is also very capable of taking off as a runner, too. He ran for 1,113 yards in five seasons at Coastal Carolina, but he logged 3,003 yards on the ground during his high school career at Indian Trail (N.C.) Porter Ridge in the team’s triple-option offense. 

While McCall did not use his legs to the same point as quarterback Brennan Armstrong did this past season with the Wolfpack, he is more than able to do so. 

“He’s got the skill set to be a runner,” Doeren said. “How much we run him, we’ve got a lot of work to do before that happens. Even when he drops back, like Brennan, he’s going to have some freelancing that goes on because of his athleticism. And then the designed runs, that comes over time.”

As NC State continues to install its offense around McCall, the quarterback oozes excitement when talking about Robert Anae’s scheme. He liked how NC State was able to spread the ball around the unit last season, while also utilizing motions and shifts to keep the opposing defenses off balance. 

It is still early in the preparation for the 2024 campaign, though, and McCall is focused on “stacking days” on the practice fields in Raleigh. 

“I’m really excited about what we’re going to do on the offense,” McCall said. “And I’m really excited to keep learning.”