Exclusive: Grayson McCall on mental, physical toll of concussion and his uncertain future

Grayson McCall is looking forward to playing football again. Whether that’s with Coastal Carolina is very much up in the air.

McCall, the most decorated quarterback in university history, was sidelined Oct. 21, when he took a hit to the helmet during CCU’s win over Arkansas State.

Since, the quarterback’s status has been a hot topic, fueled in part by an eyebrow-raising statement by Coach Tim Beck Oct. 25 and 31st that McCall’s time at Coastal might be over, despite multiple games and a probable bowl still ahead. Although each person recovers differently, published statistics from the NFL show the median time missed for a concussion is nine days.

On Saturday, Beck again was circumspect about his star quarterback, declining to give specifics about McCall’s status. The mystery around McCall’s condition created doubt that the quarterback’s health may not be the only factor keeping him off the field.

In his first interview since the injury, McCall made it clear he was not giving up on the season or his teammates. But he was not making any promises either.

McCall confirmed he was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion during the Arkansas State game. He said that while some days are better than others, he has generally been without symptoms for a week. He has one more step to go before he is officially cleared to play.

“I would love to get back out there, but I’m not going to do that until I am healthy,” McCall said. “I’m going through a lot personally because I’m doing everything I can to get back out there ... But at the end of the day, my health comes first, and I have to think about my future and things like that.”

That future includes a desire to play professional football next season, even though he has one more season of eligibility should he decide to use it at CCU or another school.

“My plans haven’t really changed,” he said. “If something comes up, and I decide to make the decision to do otherwise when that bridge comes, we’ll cross it.”

McCall was adamant that his focus has not shifted to the NFL and that he has not decided to sit out the rest of the season to prepare for the draft, as some highly rated players across the country have done in past years.

“I think that would be selfish of me to just put this season away after all the work I’ve put into it,” he said.

Asked to elaborate on factors weighing on his decision-making process, McCall wouldn’t say. He did, however, open up on the mental challenges he faces because of the injury.

“It kind of just scares you,” he said. “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 further added the injury was unexpected because he was hit while sliding, the best way quarterbacks can avoid taking damage once they leave the pocket. McCall slid frequently this year in an attempt to protect himself, as he stressed before the season that he wanted to play every game, something he had never done while at Coastal.

But while trying to preserve his health and football future, McCall suffered one of the worst injuries of his career to date.

Time running out on season

The window for McCall to return to the field this season is slowly closing, as the postseason-bound Chants only have three guaranteed games left.

It was a season in which CCU coaches talked openly about being a platform to help McCall, who some media outlets see as a late draft pick or an undrafted free agent, realize his dream of playing professional football.

But part of what has made McCall so great at Coastal Carolina also makes him a challenging prospect to evaluate for the NFL.

Under former Head Coach Jamey Chadwell, the Chants deployed the spread option. This offensive philosophy generated points effectively because it was difficult to predict what CCU would do on a play-by-play basis.

McCall used that system to his advantage, earning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors three times and racking up 78 touchdowns and more than 8,000 yards passing. But the spread option is not a typical offensive scheme run in the NFL, making an evaluation of how McCall’s skills would translate to the NFL more difficult.

Every game he played well this season would’ve helped prove to NFL evaluators that he was worthy of being drafted or signed as a free agent. Missing games only hurts him.

Struggles in the new system

McCall’s 2023 season is somewhat linked to the new offense he was tasked with piloting. When Beck became head coach, he and first-year offensive coordinator Travis Trickett gave McCall a new pro style and Air Raid principles to adopt.

CCU slowly phased out the spread option as the season progressed, and the pass-friendly formations of the air raid took their place.

In an interview with The Sun News before the season started, Trickett said the new look Chants offense would display schemes and designs that McCall was not used to but are commonplace in the NFL.

“He’s going to have that aspect to it that I don’t think he’s had yet, and again, he did really well. I mean, two years ago, he had the highest quarterback efficiency rating ever (I) think in the history of college football,” Trickett said at the time. “Some of the things that (McCall) needs to answer maybe for (the NFL) that they haven’t seen just yet ... Those things will be displayed.”

Trickett added McCall seemed to pick up the Air Raid quickly, too.

The transition has not been smooth, though.

McCall’s 2023 quarterback rating of 148.75 is the lowest since he became a full-time starter in 2020, and he was throwing the fewest touchdowns per game of his career.

McCall also developed a turnover problem. In McCall’s first four years at CCU, he threw eight interceptions, a testament to his accuracy and sound decision-making as a quarterback. In his first five games of 2023, he threw six.

Despite his struggles, McCall seems sincere about leaving open the possibility that he will play again this year.

“My plan is to continue playing football,” McCall said. “When that is, I’m not sure yet.”