Coastal Carolina QB McCall, a transfer prospect, was injured in the bowl

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, a three-time Sun Belt Conference player of the year who entered the transfer window this month but stayed with the Chanticleers for the Birmingham Bowl, was injured in Tuesday night’s 53-29 loss. to East Carolina.

In what is expected to be McCall’s final game in a Coastal Carolina uniform, the quarterback scored a 9-yard touchdown. He was hit while falling into the end zone and did not return to the game.

Chanticleers interim coach Chad Staggs said in his postgame news conference that he did not know the exact nature of the injury, other than that it was “upper body.”

Jarrett Guest replaced McCall in the first half and played most of the second. McCall’s scoring streak gave Coastal Carolina (9-4) a 14-10 lead. At halftime, however, the Chanticleers were in a 24-14 hole.

For the Pirates (8-5), Holton Ahlers stole the show, throwing a Birmingham Bowl-record five touchdown passes and scoring a game-high six scores. Ahlers, named the game’s MVP, threw for 300 yards on 26-of-38 passing, rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown and caught a 14-yard pass for the Pirates.

McCall, who missed three games at the end of the season with an injury, played a lot before the injury. He was 11-of-14 for 75 yards and carried the ball four times for 12 yards. His 25-yard pass to Ivy Turoni set up a 1-yard field goal by Reese White.

He entered the transfer portal earlier this month after an outstanding career with the Chanticleers. He redshirted his first season on campus in 2019, but burst onto the scene in 2020, starting as a redshirt freshman. He was a finalist for the Manning Award and a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. In addition to his first Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year award, he was also named the league’s Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Sun Belt Conference quarterback.

McCall threw for 2,488 yards and 26 touchdowns with three interceptions while rushing for 569 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games during the 2020 season.

He continued his outstanding play in 2021, throwing for 2,873 yards and 27 touchdowns with three interceptions, while also rushing for four touchdowns. He again captured the league’s MVP award and was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, given to the best player in college football.

McCall threw for 2,633 yards and 24 touchdowns with two interceptions this season, earning league MVP honors for what will likely be the last time. He has played three seasons, but has two more seasons of eligibility remaining if he chooses to use the NCAA-granted additional year of COVID-19 restrictions for the 2020 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.