By Nick Williams (@OuttaPocketNick)
The flood gates of the transfer portal have been opened since December 4th and currently 3,000+ names have been entered. One name stands out amongst most for UCF fans and that name is Grayson McCall.
Pete Nakos, a transfer portal reporter for On3 Sports dropped a bombshell on X claiming McCall will be making a visit to UCF this weekend. This post has been followed by numerous UCF fans excited to bring him to Orlando for the 2024-25 season and the call for donating to UCF’s N.I.L fund, Kingdom N.I.L, has been the main focus for fans who want him to land at the Bounce House.
Grayson McCall born in Indian Trail, North Carolina has had a tremendous career for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and has been a standout quarterback in the Sun Belt conference earning himself three Sun Belt Player of the Year Awards. Standing at 6’3, 220 pounds, McCall has thrown for 10,005 passing yards over five years with a 69.9% completion rating. McCall has also thrown for 88 touchdowns with one of them being a 99 yard pass to Isaiah Likely against Arkansas State. This pass was completed just one year after Coastal Carolina's best season ever where they climbed to #9 in the AP poll led by McCall’s 231.5 passing yards per game offense. He holds the school’s record for total touchdowns with 95 and holds the school’s passing touchdown record with 78.
With John Rhys Plumlee leaving the Knight’s after this season, Knights fans can only hope McCall will be able to immediately come in and lead Gus Mahlzan’s offense to wins in Big XII play. Just like Plumlee, McCall is an underrated dual threat quarterback who has flown under the radar because of his G5 schedule. The triple option is his best friend and when it comes time to make an impressive throw, he’s able to capitalize. McCall’s efficient passing would be put on full display for power five atmospheres around the nation. McCall’s history of beating P5 schools started in 2020 with a 38-23 win against Kansas and two wins against ranked opponents that season against #13 BYU and #21 Louisiana. In 2021, McCall led the Chanticleers to another victory over Kansas 49-22 and had zero ranked opponent wins that season. Past the 2021 season he played one other P5 team with that being UCLA, where his team lost by 14 despite his 271 yard performance.
On Monday, On3 sports reported McCall would also be making a visit to NC State this weekend. This would be a notable visit for the North Carolina native as he previously had an in-home visit with NC State this past weekend. Although that could seem concerning, Jamie Seh, a sports director for WKMG TV went to X to report on the McCall to UCF rumors where she claimed “Source told me Gus Malzahn may have visited with McCall over the last few days.” If this rumor is true, the recruiting connection is being made and Mahlzan is pushing for him to be a Knight just as much as the UCF’s fanbase. Whether we pick up a dual-threat quarterback in the portal or stick to developing Timmy McClain, the expectations remain high for the 2024 UCF season.