NC State star Grayson McCall retires from football at 23 over head injuries

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Grayson McCall was a three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year with Coastal Carolina and may have had the best opportunity of his collegiate career to improve his NFL draft stock this year at North Carolina State.

Injuries derailed McCall’s playing time, and the final one was the last straw. The 23-year-old, sixth-year senior announced Wednesday he was hanging up his cleats.

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North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall, #2, looks on during the pre game warm up of an NCAA college football game on Sept. 8, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser, File)

The decision came nearly three weeks after a vicious hit knocked him out of a game for the second time this season. He suffered head injuries against Wake Forest on Oct. 5 and Louisiana Tech on Sept. 14. He also had concussion problems while at Coastal Carolina.

"Unfortunately, my dream has been cut just short," he wrote in part on Instagram. "As you all know I have battled injuries my whole career, but this is one that I cannot come back from. I have done everything I can to continue, but this is where the good Lord has called me to serve in a different space. Brain specialists, my family, and I have come to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to hang the cleats up.

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Coastal Carolina Chanticleers quarterback Grayson McCall, #10, throws a pass during the second quarter against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina, on Oct. 20, 2021. (Reinhold Matay-USA