‘It’s been a crazy journey’: What CCU QB Grayson McCall had to say in his first interview
The muzzle was off Coastal Carolina redshirt freshman quarterback Grayson McCall on Wednesday.
McCall was able to express his feelings to the media for the first time this season during a FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl press teleconference on Zoom.
He was previously prohibited from speaking to the media by head coach Jamey Chadwell, in keeping with a policy he has against freshmen speaking to the press, so McCall was finally able to expound on the “crazy journey” that he has helped take the Chanticleers on this season.
“I understand what coach Chadwell was trying to do to protect me and things like that,” he said. “There are a lot of negative things that can come with the media, but also a lot of positive things. So I wouldn’t necessarily say frustrated but I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak to [the media] now.”
There have been times this season when McCall wanted to express his opinion on the record.
“Certain weeks, you hear stuff here and there on Twitter and in the media, so there were definitely times I feel I wanted to express my voice, but it’s all good because I get the chance to do that now,” McCall said.
McCall will lead the AP No. 9 Chants (11-0) into their first ever bowl game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against No. 23 Liberty (9-1) at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida.
McCall was a backup last year to then sophomores Fred Payton and Bryce Carpenter and got into just two games. But he started to assert himself in spring practices in February – CCU was one of just two FBS teams to complete spring practices because it started so early – and earned the job in fall preseason camp, particularly after Payton missed time with an Achilles injury.
“We had no idea he was going to be starter at the beginning of the season,” senior CCU center Sam Thompson said. “Once he was announced it was like his whole mindset of being behind the other QBs . . . he basically took over the offense. It was no ifs, ands or buts about who ran the offense and who was over us and who was our captain on offense. He makes plays and just the will to win every single game and knowing what he has to do as a quarterback is something that just really amazes the whole team.”
Coastal raced out to a 28-0 lead in the opening game at Kansas and hasn’t looked back, defeating ranked teams Louisiana and BYU as well as four-time defending Sun Belt champion Appalachian State along the way.
“It’s been a crazy journey,” McCall said. “Coming in last year and being a third-string guy, sitting around all year, it’s been a crazy journey. I learned a lot behind the guys, Bryce and Fred, that I was behind last year, and we have a great coaching staff here. . . . The game at Kansas kind of got the ball rolling for us and gave our team more confidence. My teammates were able to see me play for the first time and gain some confidence in me. So it’s been a crazy journey but I’m super blessed to be in the position I’m in.”
McCall is among the nation’s leaders with 23 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions and leads the Sun Belt Conference in passing efficiency at 185.9 and passing yards with 2,170, and is second in completion percentage at 69.3 percent (151-of-218). He’s also 10th in the Sun Belt with six rushing touchdowns and 14th in rushing with 473 rushing yards.
He appears to be a perfect fit for the complex spread option offense of Chadwell and co-offensive coordinators Newland Issac and Willy Korn, who is also the quarterbacks coach, especially considering he ran a similar option as a starter for three seasons at Porter Ridge High in Indian Trail, N.C.
“I actually love running this offense. It’s really exciting to me,” McCall said. “We’ve got some masterminds on the offensive side of the ball who are making this stuff up, and they do a great job with it. I’m really comfortable running it. I’ve been doing triple-option stuff since I was a freshman in high school.
“As you can see on the season it definitely can cause some problems for defenses, not only in the triple-option game, but us throwing the ball down the field, some power stuff, throwing different stuff at you, different formations. It’s hard for the defense to adjust.”
Accolades have been pouring in for McCall, who is the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, was named to The Athletic’s College Football Freshman All-America team, and is up for national player or quarterback of the year honors as a finalist or semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, Manning Award and Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.
“The accolades and all the awards are really cool to me, but I’m more so focused on coming in every day ready to work, finding a way to win for my team and just getting it done every week,” McCall said.
The honors that have come over the past week-plus since the end of the regular season have reminded McCall and his teammates how magical this season has been for them.
“The season is such a grind, day to day and during the week, you kind of don’t get a chance to sit back and take a look at what you’ve really done,” McCall said. “So these couple weeks and all these awards coming in with the conference and across the country, it has kind of given us a chance to just sit back and take a look at what we’ve done.
“We’re definitely not satisfied with what we’ve done. We’ve got another game and we’ve got to finish off the season the right way. But it’s definitely cool to look back on what we’ve done this year.”
Honors piling up
Chadwell was named the 2020 Group of Five Conferences Coach of the Year and is one of eight finalists for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award.
The Bryant Award annually recognizes the country’s top college football coaches for their contributions both on and off the field by demonstrating grit, integrity, and a winning approach to coaching and life. The award is the only college coaching honor selected after all postseason bowl games have been played.
Chadwell, who was named the 2020 Sun Belt Coach of the Year, was also recently named the 2020 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS Region 2 Coach of the Year, making him a national finalist for that award, a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as Coach of the Year presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and one of 12 semifinalists for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award presented by the Maxwell Football Club.
McCall and true freshman offensive lineman Willie Lampkin were named to The Athletic’s 2020 College Football Freshman All-America team.
McCall was named The Athletic’s Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team. Lampkin (6-1, 295), who was playing for Lakeland (Florida) High School last year, has started all 11 games at left guard.
Senior defensive end Tarron Jackson was named to ESPN’s 2020 College Football All-America team, which featured just 26 players, as well as to the Reese’s Senior Bowl All-America team.
Jackson and senior running back C.J. Marable accepted invitations to the East-West Shrine Bowl, the nation’s oldest all-star game for college seniors aspiring to play in the NFL.
The 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl has been canceled due to COVID-19, but the all-stars will participate in virtual training sessions in preparation for the NFL Draft, and some will also participate in various virtual experiences with Shriners Hospitals for Children patients.
Junior tight end Isaiah Likely earned a spot on the 2020 Pro Football Focus All-America Second Team.
Senior linebacker Silas Kelly is one of 14 semifinalists for the CoSIDA’s Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award. Three winners will be announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America and Associated Press on Jan. 2, 2021 in conjunction with the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.
After missing the last 10 games of the 2019 season due to a knee injury that included an ACL tear, Kelly leads CCU with 72 total tackles, including 5.5 for lost yardage, and has an interception and fumble recovery.
More honors are on the way for the Chants.
Baseball ranked early
The CCU baseball team is ranked in a preseason top 25 and has an All-American.
The Chants are ranked No. 23 in Collegiate Baseball’s Fabulous 50 and are the only team from the Sun Belt Conference in the rankings, and redshirt junior outfielder Parker Chavers is a Collegiate Baseball First Team Preseason All-American. He was a 2020 Baseball America, Perfect Game and D1 Baseball Preseason All-American last season but missed the abbreviated 2020 spring slate while recovering from offseason surgery.
In 2019, Chavers played in 57 games and hit .316 with 15 home runs, four triples, nine doubles, 54 RBIs, 54 runs scored and 10 stolen bases with a team-high .612 slugging percentage and on-base percentage of .435.
Chavers is one of 25 returning players from last year’s 11-5 team including pitchers Reid VanScoter and Jacob Maton, who return from injuries that sidelined them last season. CCU’s 2021 baseball schedule will be released in January.
Saturday’s Game
Who: AP No. 9 Coastal Carolina (11-0) vs. No. 23 Liberty (9-1)
What: Sixth annual FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl
Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
When: 7:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: ESPN Radio and WRNN FM 99.5
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 4:06 PM.
