NC State graduate quarterback Grayson McCall is being evaluated at a local hospital, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said after the team’s 34-30 loss to Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon, after exiting after an apparent hit to the head in the first quarter. 

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

McCall returned to the starting lineup after he missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury. He was injured against the Demon Deacons as he tried to run on the Pack’s seventh offensive play of the game, but appeared to be hit by two defenders at the same time. 

The Indian Trail, N.C., native lost his helmet on impact and did not get up after the hit. The NC State training staff immediately ran onto the field during play to tend to the quarterback. He was down for several minutes as the medical staff prepared to load McCall onto the cart. 

McCall was eventually placed on a backboard without his facemask, while his jersey appeared to be cut from his body. Once he was put on the back of the cart, McCall was seen hugging his parents, who made it onto the field, before being driven off. 

As McCall exited Carter-Finley Stadium, he raised his left hand to the crowd before being transported to WakeMed hospital for further evaluation. Doeren said once McCall “came to” on the field, he was talking and said, “I want the boys to win the game.”

The Coastal Carolina transfer was 3-of-5 passing for 42 yards, while he added one carry for nine yards before he left the game injured. 

Doeren said McCall “went through the entire protocol” this week to return to play from his previous injury this season against Wake Forest. The Pack’s 12th-year coach said that a player will not lose his job to an injury, which is why McCall started against the Demon Deacons. 

“[He] was cleared and had a great week of practice,” Doeren said. “He’s our starting quarterback. He’s a captain. … He was ready to play and he took a really vicious hit. Sometimes football is a very violent sport, at times, and that was a big hit that he took.”

“I hate it for him,” Doeren continued. “You just hate to see a guy get hit like that. And obviously the results of hits like that are scary.”

McCall dealt with a similar situation last season at Coastal Carolina, where he took a hit to the head at Arkansas State before being carted off with a concussion. He did not return to the field after that hit for the rest of the season.

He was asked about it at ACC Media Days in July, where McCall admitted his football future was up in the air momentarily following the blow. But he was ready to return to the sport he loved, so he transferred to NC State for his final year of eligibility. 

And McCall was not afraid of any future hits he could take on the field. 

“I think if I have that mindset, it will just hinder me,” McCall said of worrying about a future injury at ACC Media Days. “I think I have to go out there and let it rip and play fast. [I have to] prepare myself and put myself in the best possible position to stay healthy and do everything I can off the field to keep my body in shape. Off the field, my head’s clear and I don’t have any worries. I’m ready to go.”

Freshman quarterback CJ Bailey, who started each of the last two games, entered in relief of McCall against Wake Forest. He was 28-of-42 passing for 272 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, which effectively ended the game on NC State’s final drive of the game. 

Bailey set career bests in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns in the loss. 

“I was proud of him,” Doeren said of Bailey. “I thought he came into the game with poise and he gave us a chance to win the game. He made a lot of nice plays with his arm, with his legs. He was a good leader on the sideline … CJ didn’t lose that football game. He did a lot of good things today.”

McCall was 50-of-75 passing for 476 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions through the first three games of the season. He also added 18 carries for 44 yards as a running threat during that span.

Before he arrived in Raleigh, McCall threw for 10,005 yards with 88 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions during his five-year career at Coastal Carolina. During his time with the Chanticleers, McCall was a three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, the first to ever do that in league history.

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