After his team’s game against Wake Forest, North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall was carried off the field on a stretcher during the first half.
McCall was running the ball on third down when he took a huge blow and fumbled. He was struck in the head, sending his helmet flying, and when he hit the ground, he didn’t seem to be aware. There was no targeting flag raised for the strike. Wake Forest retrieved the fumble and ran 88 yards with it.
Against Louisiana Tech, McCall was making his first start since September 14. According to the team, he left that game with an unidentified ailment. After the game, he left for the locker room, covering his head with a towel, and never came back.
On Saturday, NC State lost to Wake Forest 34–30. Following the game, NC State reported that McCall was conscious and in good spirits after being released from a nearby hospital.
The strike on Saturday looks to be at least the second head injury in the last 12 months for the Coastal Carolina transfer, who is in his first season with the Wolfpack. In October of 2023, McCall was struck while sliding, resulting in a concussion and knockout. On that play, McCall struck his head on the turf.
McCall did not play again for the remainder of the season after that hit, ending his career at CCU. One of the most productive quarterbacks in college football for five years, McCall played quarterback for the Chanticleers. During his more than three years as the team’s main quarterback, he passed for over 10,000 yards and 88 touchdowns against just 14 interceptions.
Violent replays are a part of the spectacle, and perhaps even the attraction, of any given Saturday or Sunday football game that is shown on television. The devastating quarterback sack. a linebacker who rushes a receiver or running back and forces a turnover. tremendous hits and the ogling of those tremendous hits have long been a part of the sport’s tradition and appeal.
The “hope-he’s-OK,” the oohs and aahs, because that looked rough.
“But he’s up,” the typical relieved voice says. “Somehow, back in the huddle.”
Alright. Let’s go on to the next play.
Grayson McCall, the quarterback for N.C. State, had no further plays on Saturday. Additionally, there was no replay during The CW’s telecast. That decision alone ought to tell you just how awful and alarming it was—so awful, in fact, that TV, which frequently has no boundaries when it comes to the football brutality it’s ready to share and reshare, thought this moment was too important to repeat.