‘Heartbreaking to see’: Massive hit sends NC State quarterback Grayson McCall to hospital

N.C. State quarterback Grayson McCall was carted off the field during the Wolfpack’s first drive against Wake Forest on Saturday after a big hit sent the graduate student tumbling to the turf.

McCall was hit by Wake Forest linebacker Quincy Bryant. McCall’s helmet flew off and his mouth guard came out of his mouth. McCall hit the ground and teammates, notably wide receiver Keenan Jackson, immediately signaled to the sideline for medical attention while the ball was still in play. McCall lost consciousness for a brief period.

Medical staff, head coach Dave Doeren and McCall’s father ran onto the field following the hit. Team captain Davin Vann kneeled with tears in his eyes as paramedics stabilized McCall’s neck and transported him off the field on a spinal board. Offensive line coach Garrett Tujague and linebacker Sean Brown kneeled on the sideline, appearing to pray for the quarterback.

“It was heartbreaking to see that,” offensive lineman Tim McKay said. “He’s a guy who fought hard for us. He came here from Coastal, is a captain. Seeing him go down earlier in the season and go down again this week is kind of disheartening. We know how hard he works for us. It’s really sad seeing that.”

When asked about his initial reaction, Doeren said he heard everyone on the sideline yelling “targeting” but couldn’t see it from his location. He was mostly concerned about McCall’s safety.

“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.”

McCall was taken to WakeMed Hospital for further evaluation before being released around 6 p.m. on Saturday. He gestured to the fans in the stadium as paramedics took him off the field.

The Wolfpack was unable to complete McCall’s wish and lost to the Deacs, 34-30, after Wake Forest came back from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit.

McCall, the Coastal Carolina transfer, completed 3 of 5 passes for 42 yards in his brief appearance. He’s completed 53 of 80 pass attempts for 518 yards this season.

“All the reports back from the hospital are positive,” Doeren said after the loss. “Once they’re done going through all the tests and things like that, obviously, we’ll have more information at that time.”

Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson said his “thoughts and prayers are with Grayson and his family.”

The injury came in McCall’s first game back for the Pack. He left the Week 3 contest against Louisiana Tech shortly before halftime due to an undisclosed injury. McCall did not play against Clemson or Northern Illinois.

Officials did not review Saturday’s play for targeting, and Wake Forest scored off the subsequent turnover. Evan Slocum gathered the fumble that resulted from the hit and returned it to the N.C. State 2-yard line. The Demon Deacons then scored on a 3-yard pass. The Deacs — and officials — were met with a barrage of boos from Wolfpack fans.

Freshman CJ Bailey replaced McCall in the backfield. Bailey had started in the previous two games.

McCall’s 2023 season at Coastal Carolina ended due to a concussion in October after a similar play. The Chanticleers played Arkansas State on the road and a defender tackled him, making helmet-to-helmet contact. McCall’s head bounced on the turf.

He laid on the field motionless, and was taken to a local hospital. The severity of the injury and NCAA’s concussion protocol sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

“It kind of just scares you,” McCall told the Sun News in Myrtle Beach last November. “You kind of second guess yourself, and maybe your instincts aren’t the same they were before the injury just because something like that happened. We’re all humans. It kind of scares you, no matter how tough I think I am, no matter how good of a football player I am. At the end of the day, that’s just kind of the process you have to go through.”

McCall has not played a full collegiate season.

He played a limited role in 2019, his true freshman season. In 2020, after winning the starting job, he missed Coastal Carolina’s game against Georgia Southern due to an injury.

McCall sustained a shoulder injury in November 2021, which required a surgery the subsequent January.

He missed three games in 2022 and was injured again in the Chanticleer’s bowl game against East Carolina.