Grayson McCall injury update: NC State quarterback questionable for 2024, not ruled out

N.C. State quarterback Grayson McCall, who lay motionless on the turf following a collision in Saturday’s game against Wake Forest and had to be carted off the field, has not been ruled out for the rest of the season, head coach Dave Doeren said on Monday during his weekly news conference.

McCall left the game on Saturday after a hit near the Wake Forest goal line during a running play left him briefly unconscious on the field and sent him to the hospital, where he was treated and released several hours later.

“He’s in concussion protocol, and we’ll give him time to go through the steps that he wants to go through before we talk any more about what the next steps are,” Doeren said. “I think it’s only fair to him and his family to allow them that opportunity and be supportive of him as he goes through this tough time. Thankful that he is, for the most part, OK and it’s just a concussion.”

McCall, serving as a ball carrier, was hit on the Wolfpack’s first offensive drive of the game. Doeren said McCall thought about sliding on the play but did not. The quarterback lost his helmet and mouth guard due to the force of impact. Then, his head made contact with Wake Forest linebacker Quincy Bryant — he was officially charged with the tackle — and two other Demon Deacons defenders.

McCall hit the ground, briefly losing consciousness, and teammates immediately signaled for the medical staff. Paramedics stabilized McCall’s neck and carted him off the field on a stretcher.

“Grayson, once he came to, was talking and said, ‘I want the boys to win the game,’” Doeren said. “He was trying to get up, and the (medic) wouldn’t let him. I felt bad for him and his parents. You know, you’re just trying to be comforting and pray for him in that moment.”

Doeren said on Monday it was probably “the scariest moment” he’s experienced in 30 years as a college football coach.

McCall was taken to WakeMed Hospital, where Doeren said the initial reports were positive, and released around 6 p.m. Saturday.

McCall underwent a number of tests and scans, including those that look for brain bleeds and swelling. Doeren said the medical team put all its resources into the evaluation and received “glowing results.”

Did the hit meet the threshold for targeting?

N.C. State players signaled to the sideline to review for targeting and play stoppage when McCall collapsed. The officials did not immediately stop play.

The result of the play was scored as a fumble, recovered by Wake Forest and returned to the Wolfpack 2-yard line. The Deacs scored on a 3-yard touchdown pass.

Doeren said after the game he didn’t see targeting from his location.

ACC officials drew criticism over the weekend for their apparent lack of review, but each play involving a league team is reviewed by league officials at the replay center in Charlotte. The crew there has the ability to signal to game officials on site to prevent the next play from beginning if the officials haven’t already done so.

Saturday’s hit and play were evaluated while medical staff tended to McCall, despite the lack of on-field announcement or additional game stoppage. No penalty was observed and play continued.

According to NCAA rules 9-1-3, 9-1-4 and 2-27-14, players cannot make forcible contact with the head or neck area of a defenseless player. They also cannot make forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.

After watching the play on film, Doeren said it was a clean hit.

Doeren said McCall was not considered a defenseless player, nor did Bryant hit McCall with the crown of his head. Bryant made contact with the front of his helmet. He does not believe there was malicious intent on the play, but he thinks the rules need to be evaluated.

He spoke to ACC Head of Football Officials Alberto Riveron. Doeren could not share the details of the conversation, but said the two are in agreement that there needs to be additional study on the targeting rule.

“I think the language in it puts the refs in a tough spot, particularly on a play like that one,” Doeren said. “There’s not a lot of plays where a helmet comes off and at the same time someone else is coming in to hit him like that. It really highlights the rule and the verbiage of the rule.”

Doeren thinks officials will have conversations about how the rule is written and if the current format is the right way to officiate it.

“I know (Riveron) felt terrible about what happened, and I have respect for him and how he does his job,” Doeren said.

Even though the play did not qualify for targeting, the play likely should’ve been blown dead, though, according to NCAA rules 3-3-10 and 3-3-10-C.

“If the ball carrier’s helmet comes off (through play), the ball is dead,” the 2024 NCAA football rule book says.

Doeren said the ball came loose at the same time McCall’s helmet came off, so the officials didn’t rule the play dead.

“I could see where that could happen, but you’re asking me to officiate, and I’m not an official,” Doeren said. “Some of those calls are on the field in the moment. If a guy continues to play with his helmet off, you usually see that, but as you know, that play, (McCall) went directly to the ground, so it’s a tough one.”

NCAA concussion protocol requirements

The hit came just three weeks after McCall left the Wolfpack’s game against Louisiana Tech before halftime with an undisclosed upper body injury. Doeren said the following Monday the team was told McCall was “day-to-day,” and the injury wasn’t season ending.

Saturday, after McCall’s second injury of the season and first start since Sept. 14, Doeren said the quarterback “went through the entire protocol and was cleared.”

“He’s a captain, and you don’t lose your position to injury,” Doeren said after the game. “He was ready to play, and he took a really vicious hit. Football’s a very violent sport at times and that was a big hit that he took. I hate it for him. You just hate to see a guy get hit like that, and, obviously, the results of those kind of hits are scary.”

McCall’s 2023 season at Coastal Carolina ended because of a similar injury. He made helmet-to-helmet contact with an Arkansas State defender and landed on the ground. Medical professionals took him to a local hospital and he was diagnosed with a concussion. Due to the NCAA’s concussion protocol, McCall did not play the rest of the season.

The NCAA’s concussion protocol checklist gives team doctors authority to approve or deny clearance for activities, but it specifies the need for a multi-disciplinary team in the cases of severe head injuries.

The policy includes preseason testing and education, an emergency action plan and follow-up testing.

In more severe cases, like McCall’s, the checklist requires evaluating a player’s spine, balance, memory, vomiting, skull deformities, changes in vitals when the player stands up, and ocular dysfunction on a regular basis. This is not an exhaustive list of requirements.

The NCAA requires the completion of a “step-wise progression” plan, implemented by a doctor specializing in concussions, before a student-athlete returns to sport-related activities. Unrestricted athletic activities should not take place before unrestricted learning activities.

Doeren said he is not opposed to ruling a player out due to health risks, but he will defer to medical professionals, the player and the player’s family.

“I have no problem making that call, but I’m going to start with them. That’s the right way to do it,” 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. If that’s where we’re at, that’s where we’ll be. … But, the steps are not head coach first. It’s medical team first, family and then bring the head coach in.”

As McCall goes through concussion protocol, conversations about the remainder of the season will take place and a decision will eventually be shared publicly.

“I’m not going to supersede what he’s asking for,” Doeren said.

McCall has never played a full season of college football. He was not a starter his true freshman year, and missed at least one game due to injury in his remaining seasons.

N.C. State true freshman CJ Bailey will return to the starting role in McCall’s absence.