Grayson McCall: "The Stronger the Bonds, the Harder We Play "
NC State quarterback Grayson McCall met with the media following fall practice as the Wolfpack continues to prepare for the 2024 season.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch McCall’s interview.
"It's awesome. There are a lot of playmakers around me, a lot of options, a lot of fast guys to get the ball to. K.C. [Concepcion] had a lot of weight on shoulders last year; he had to do a lot of different things. I think it's important this year that we have a lot of different guys that can do a lot of things. The defenses aren’t just going to be able to cue in on where No. 10 is. There are a lot of other guys they have to worry about. It's exciting, man. It makes my life a lot easier. I love working with those guys.”
“K.C. is K.C. He's going to make big plays and do big things out there. The more we get him involved, the better. It's just going to make our lives easier with all the other weapons around him. The defenses are just going to be able to cue in on where he is. We’ll be able to spread the ball around, but when K.C. gets the ball, good things happen, so we’re going to continue to try to get him the ball as much as possible.”
“Jordan [Waters] has done a great job. He’s come in and led that room. There are a lot of guys in there that can get things done. Kendrick [Raphael] is coming off a year last year where he got to get his feet wet and play some snaps. We've got a young guy, Duke Scott, that's done a really good job in spring and is going to get some snaps soon. Obviously, Jordan's kind of the vet in that room. He's kind of leading those guys, and he's done a great job. The whole room, as a whole, has just done a really good job.”
"I think the most important thing for me was to get to know the guys when I first got here, to build these relationships. The stronger your bonds are, and the stronger those relationships are, the harder you play for your teammates on the field. That was really important for me. I think the approach has always been the same. I want to go out there and be great. I know I've got to put in the work and take care of my body, so I think that approach is kind of the same.”
“[Dacari Collins] is a vet guy. He's played a lot of football. He's worked really hard this offseason. I worked with him a lot this offseason when I got here and throughout the summer. The changes he's made, he's taking care of his body off the field, coming in every day, and going to work. It's been fun throwing ball to Dacari. We expect good things from him this year.”
“[Getting ranked at No. 24 in the preseason AP poll] is exciting. It's exciting to know that people are kind of acknowledging the talent that we have here and the momentum that we have going into the season. Right now, the most important thing for us is to focus on how NC State can be better than the day before. We've done a great job of that, coming out every day during camp, just putting the cleats to the grass, and going to work. It's exciting to get some recognition for the school and the community, but our goal is to come here to get better each and every day get ready to play Western Carolina."
“[The receivers] push each other every day. They really do. They come to work, and I think I've done a good job bringing those guys together and getting them on the same page. They do a fantastic job. Like I said, there are so many playmakers around me. It makes my job so much easier to just find the open guy, get it in the fast guy's hands, and let him run. I'm really excited about working with that whole group.”
“It started in the spring, going out on the field on our own and just throwing routes on air. We took it into the summer, and then getting into those conversations about different coverages and leverages, and how I expect them to run different routes. We were all just getting on the same page, getting on the same timing with those guys. The more reps we can get together, the better.
“You see [Keenan Jackson] coming in the spring — he was an early enroll guy —and just immediately you can see that he is a lot further ahead than you would expect as an early enroll freshman. In this camp, he's really turned it on. The strides that he's made from the spring, it's really impressive. Today, you saw him going against Aydan White, making so many contested catches. He's a good player, and he cares. He wants to be on the field; you can see that. I’m really excited about being with him. He's another Union County guy, the same area as me. I love Keenan.”
“As a whole, I think it's so important for us, as an offense, to see those looks from our defense every day. Starting with the front, we have Davin [Vann], Travali [Price], and Brandon Cleveland up front that we have to block. The guys in the back end really make it challenging for us. It's really iron sharpening iron every day. It's highly competitive out there. If you go out there and watch practice, it's highly competitive every day. We're just pushing each other, trying to be the best we can be everyday.
“It’s getting to that point. I think it's getting a little chippy out there. Once you get two weeks into camp, it's like, 'All right, we’re ready to hit another color jersey.' It’s great. We've just got to do a good job of keeping it highly competitive but taking care of our guys at the same time while we’re out there.”
“Aydan and a lot of the other guys in the back end do a really good job. They’re coached at a high level. The coaches expect big things from them, so it just makes me that much better going against guys like that. I have to have perfect ball placement; it could be tipped, picked, or anything like that. Going against those guys every day really makes me better."