Could Grayson McCall Be a Maxwell Award Finalist for NC State Football? | NC State Podcast

wolfback fans are certainly banking on quarterback Grayson McCall playing well this season but can he play Maxwell you are locked on Wolfpack your daily podcast on the NC State Wolfpack part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what's up Wolfpack Nation it's time to get locked in with locked on thanks for making locked on Wolfpack your first listen each and every day we are free and available wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more Sports have stopped sporting the way we want them to over the summer but that's exactly where FanDuel steps in this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long just visit fanduel.com in order to get started happy Tuesday to all as always I'm Grayson Boone joined by former Wolfpack defensive tackle Kenton Gibbs this is one of two Tuesday episodes it's a two for Tuesday the second episode will be posted later on this afternoon so be on the lookout for that but this is our first episode of Tuesday and we are talking all things Grayson McCall we saw on Monday he landed on the Maxwell award preseason watch list for the 2024 season and sure it's just another preseason watch list but it's a really big deal the max award is presented to the best player in college football many of you are probably like I thought that was the Heisman it's a little bit of linguistics but the Heisman is the most outstanding player it's a different organization that presents that award so despite seeming very similar they are two separate Awards the Maxwell award put out their watch list of all the players in the country that are on it Grayson McCall is the only one from NC State maybe some folks expected to see KC on there but it was only Grayson and today we're going to talk about why he could win it maybe some reason why he can't win it and if NC State can still have the season they want to even if he doesn't win in this first block Kenton we're going to talk about why graceon McCall could actually win the Maxwell award you want to start yeah for sure I mean first thing first it is objectively a Quarterback Award I mean it's been quite a streak of quarterbacks winning it back to back to back I believe the last nine quarterbacks to win it was Devonte Smith and before him you'd have to dig a little deep to find another non-quarterback as well so that's definitely a benefit of this thing working out for his favor he plays the most important position in football the most visible position in football so I don't think there's any world in which you would say h it's all right and you know he he doesn't really have a shot positionally like some other fantastic players we've had that just you know there's a reason the Maxwell has not gone to a defensive player in quite some time if ever uh so with that in mind you know that's that's one of those things that he just plays the right position win it uh number one number two a lot of these Awards whether we want to talk about it or not they are more team Awards than individual Awards how many times have we seen a Heisman winner with under nine wins it's extremely rare it's extremely rare if we see a guy with nine or less uh win it and that guy has to put up the craziest numbers in the world but how many times have we seen a guy who was leading an undefeated team where it's like you you're not even a leader what's going on there I believe and I could be wrong here but I believe Jason White from Oklahoma woned way back when when Adrian Peterson was there and even as a small child I was like he's he's not that's not the guy I'm sorry to tell y'all he's not the reason they're winning so you know it's it's a team award and NC State is primed to have an excellent season that's another reason that he could win this award but last but not least I believe the biggest thing that could get him over the hump if he's close to somebody else the contrast between last year and this year potentially if he puts up even like not even fully goty video game numbers if he just puts up a really good season people will look back at last year and say look at the instability that NC State was R with that quarterback look at the the numbers that were put up by both quarterbacks combined now look at this year look at one guy taking this offense over being a fearless leader doing a ton of great things which again a lot of these other guys they will not have I think the only guy that I could say on this watch list can truly say like hey look at me I'm I'm turning this thing around is maybe uh cam War so you know I I think that he has a ton of opportunity to pull this thing off this is primarily an award that's won by quarterbacks in fact many of the winners of the Maxwell award have also won the Heisman in that same year it hasn't happened all the time for example just this last season Michael pennick Jr of Washington won the Maxwell award but you had Jaden Daniels win the Heisman and Kenton to answer your question the last defensive player to win it was man Teo in 2012 something that you will find with all the Maxwell Award winners they either won the Heisman or more than likely they were a finalist and uh Mano had an additional push in terms of outside stories that may have helped him win that Maxwell so that a little additional motivation you could say yeah whe whether it was real or not it existed you know so yes more often than not it is won by a quarterback that is in the conversation or I should say is a finalist for the Heisman award we talked a couple couple weeks prior would it be so crazy to see Grayson McCall in New York as a Heisman finalist it might sound crazy but if Grayson McCall executes at a really high level which is something that he has done over the course of his college career it's not so hard to believe that the skill players placed around him are going to Rocket up his numbers his pass yards are probably going to be much more gudy at NC State than they were at Coastal Carolina looking back through his stats at Coastal Carolina there is something that's very consistent and that's completion percentage in 2020 it was 68.8 2021 which is arguably his best season of his career 73% completion percentage 2022 69.7 even through fighing through some injury last year he was at 67.4 so this is a quarterback that doesn't make a whole lot of mistakes he's only thrown 14 career interceptions to 88 career touchdowns if you execute at a high level you find your receivers you're making the correct reads you're making the smart throws his numbers will more than likely take off from there so he would have to see a very large increase in probably many of his numbers but it's not so crazy to believe that his numbers could take off with the roster that's been built around him yeah there's and you know that's another thing that definitely works in his favor in terms of you know I talk about the narrative from last year to this year many people don't consider the outside factors that got better as well right no many people will not consider and this is with all due respect to the gentleman from last year's team okay I don't want to disrespect anybody or denigrate anybody but nobody will really take into account hey uh there's no more jump balls being thrown to guys under six feet like that's not happening anymore on this NC State team so you know there's an influx of talent and even the talent that was here last year got a year older a year better looking at you darari Collins looking at you juice Vine and all those guys and so you know I'm very excited to see what this team looks like um in terms of of Grayson's ability to lead these guys and to have that narrative painted around him of Hey he's been phenomenal he turned this offense around at a school that was known for just defenses pounding people's heads into the dirt but just praying that their offense gave them precious little now they they've got a legitimate offense that is rolling that would definitely help uh NC or that would definitely help Grayson McCall win this award small connection I want to make here to Devin ly I don't exactly think McCall and liry are comparable I think they're two very different style of quarterback but back in 21 Devon lirry threw for 35 touchdowns to just five interceptions the most pass touchdowns that Grayson McCall thrown in one season was in 21 also when he threw 27 to just three interceptions now I believe for Mcall to be in the conversation for the Maxwell award he's probably going to be up around I'd say at least 40 that's going to be around the level of the other guys that are in contention for that award this is not me trying to throw any shade here but I believe that if Devon ly can throw 35 in 21 with talent that I don't think that is as good as McCall has around him now does anyone think McCall is incapable of hitting 35 maybe even a couple more than 35 I think he can absolutely do it his overall accuracy his ability to improv a Robert and I offense and again those skill players that have been placed around him I think anything is possible for Mall in this offense and listening to him speak at ACC kickoff he was kind of alluding to the fact that he feels comfortable in any type of offense whether it's spread he can run the option a little bit he can do some RPO play action under the center he can do it all and Robert and I pulling the strings your offensive coordinator getting real creative with a guy that doesn't make many mistakes could lead to very Gody offensive numbers so don't think it's so crazy to think about Grayson McCall in the conversation for the Maxwell award once the season wraps up in December and now coming up next we're going to talk about the cons what are some reasons maybe Grayson McCall won't be in the conversation for the Maxwell award this comes after a quick word from our sponsors first sponsor today is FanDuel look we all love sports and in fact we love them so much we can't wait for them to return this fall the playoffs are gone and all we have to watch in the moment is baseball and the Olympics Sports aren't exactly sporting the way we want them to but that's where FanDuel comes in handy FanDuel keeps the sports going all summer long whenever we need them all we have to do is open up the app and dream up any bets at any time you're in the mood this summer fanduel's hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long so head on over to fanduel.com and start making the most out of your summer FanDuel the official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball middle portion of our first Tuesday episode now talking about some hurdles that Grayson McCall is going to have to clear in order to be in the conversation for the maxw award at the end of this year I'll start this one off first of all he's going to have extremely stiff competition you look at some of the favorites for the Heisman right now Dylan Gabriel I think Dylan Gabriel's going to throw for literally like a million yards out at Oregon this year he is extremely talented skill players that offense is really suited to his play style you can't count your chickens in Late July but I would fully expect Dylan Gabriel to be a front runner for not only the Heisman but probably the Maxwell award as well then you look at names like Carson Beck Quinn ERS couple running backs in the conversation Ally Gordon maybe even quinan judkin up at Ohio State now there's a couple handfuls of wildly talented players that are on don't take this the wrong way they are they're on more talented teams than perhaps NC State is maybe that'll look different at the end of this season but the way that Ohio State's roster stack Oregon's roster stack Texas you get where I'm going with that these teams are built to go like 12-0 every single year back to kenton's point of these Awards being more team Awards sometimes and more individual just a quarterback of a 12-0 team is going to have a leg up on a guy like Grayson MCC if in fact that NC State is not 12-0 themselves maybe they will be there's a lot of work to be done before he reached that point so number one is really not even something that McCall can control all he can do is just win every game in front of him but he's got extremely stiff competition yeah so I want to push back on that a little bit and let me tell you why I think it is not what these teams are or not what they will or will not be because I I find it very interesting that you included Texas in there because Texas ain't pissed to drop in years yeah them boys have done nothing since Matt Brown left with all due respect I know they made the playoff last year I know they made the playoff last year but other than last year what have they done since Mack has been G no that that's fair I'm just I'm looking at them in the cfp last year and here's here's where I am going you are right it is a team award and that may be one of the hindrances is not reality perception perception is much more powerful than reality in Worlds where these voters get to you know say hey who they think is the best prime example pton Wilson j defensive player of the year covid year ACC defensive player of the year they both played linebacker Payton beat him in every stat except one or two and when I say pton beat him most of those he like darn near the guy and somehow J walks away with ACC Defensive Player of the Year how'd that happen that gold paint on that helmet hits different means a little bit more Notre Dame is another team what have they done what championships do they have to show for all of the love and adoration that they get nationally And yet when it came time for an award to be passed out our guy was still passed over for a guy who objectively was not as was not as impactful to his team and same thing with rocket Watts last year it's the same thing so I look at this and I say to myself NC state does not have the national perception at this moment to make it an easy win the same way that let's say Jaden Daniels at LSU did because people look at LSU and Revere LSU as a highflying offense and yes I'm not saying J DS didn't do his part put up amazing numbers and all that he also had two first round receivers like that's you know so I I look at this and I say to myself I get I see the vision I understand where we're going but that perception may be one of the biggest uh holds on on Grayson even if State goals 12 and0 even if we're talked about as the number two or three maybe even number one team in America there will still be that that moment of is a guy from NC State about to do this is this happening so I I think that that's one of the biggest hurs there another thing that we've talked about that's on the field is Grayson McCall doesn't exactly need to be perfect for NC State this year but I think for him to be in the conversation for the Maxwell award he's got to be damn near close because all these other guys like I already mentioned they're GNA have the ridiculous stat lines and the ridiculous pass touchdowns and the ridiculous amount of yards all playing on team that rarely make mistakes they're going to be 11-1 12-0 that type of deal so for example if Etsy state is 10-2 but he has comparable stats to some of the other finalists do you think that Grayson McCall would get as comparable of a look than a quarterback that's on a 12-0 team no no not at all not at all and there's one final thing that I want to say that definitely works against Grayson McCall in a major way don't take this the wrong way because I love this guy I think he's one of the best to ever do it Grayson call is the Tim Duncan of quarterbacks what do I mean by that the big fundamental if somebody were to pull up a Tim Duncan highlight reel it does not hit the same as a Jamal Crawford highlight real is Jamal Crawford half the player that Tim Duncan is no objectively no like no no one in their right mind would say I would trade two Jamal Crawford two prime Jamal crawfords for one prime Tim Duncan that's foolish even in today's guard driven game what am I saying by that when you think about a Heisman moment right you've got Lamar Jackson spin against Florida State a few years ago that was a moment that you looked at and you're like oh yeah that's it you think of Kyler Murray I believe it was CD lamb that he hit on a deep post where it was like holy cow you call him short you can call him aidet you can call him whatever you want to call him that boy can fling it a country mile yeah and not only that the run against Texas where it was like oh my God they they just can't catch this guy it's impossible you think about Devonte Smith and all of his exploits at receiver he was constantly running away from dudes making people who would make the average human look incredibly slow he made those guys look like their feet were in mud the thing about Grayson McCall he doesn't have the strongest arm in the world and he's not the most Mobile in the world so what does that mean what do your highlight look like you making the right decision time and time and time and time and time again which objectively is not as exciting as you know a guy who was a finalist for the Heisman a few years ago Andre Williams massive back from BC had thighs so big he couldn't wear jeans it's not as exciting as him running a guy over and not breaking stride because again it's a Tim Duncan highlight reel it's him doing the fundamentally right thing and hitting that bank shot time and time and time again so you know I think that that works against him as well yeah that that's kind of what I mean and him having to be pretty close to perfect and I think that the freak athletes sometimes they are so athletic they can cover up a couple mistakes they make I wouldn't exactly put Grayson McCall in that category he's a really good athlete but he's no Kyler Murray you know he's no he's no Caleb Williams he's no Jaden Daniels the sheer athleticism that can get you out of any situation or throw it over the top when no one thinks that you have the arm strength to get it there Grayson McCall is just a quarterback that makes really good decisions for the majority of his throws and that's a lot of times that can be enough but to find yourself as a finalist of the Maxwell award or possibly even the Heisman Trophy you have to be an electric player at all times virtually the margin for error is so incredibly small if Grayson McCall's gonna find himself in the conversation for this award yeah wholeheartedly agree rounding out our Tuesday episode we're going to discuss if NC State can still accomplish goals for this season if Grayson McCall is not in the conversation for the Maxwell award this comes after a quick word from 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accomplish their goals about it yes there are multiple worlds where that happens there are multiple worlds where um The Back Field is so good you're like man Jordan Waters is better than we thought uh you know Hollywood Smothers Kendrick rafhael these guys are getting it done it's hard to imagine a world where you you can say hey these guys aren't the best thing rolling and smoking and so with that in mind naturally you're looking at a very tough time in trying to um get a guy that Maxwell if you're going to be a team that runs the ball a lot but also the defense is the defense is the defense at NC State like this is not a joke this is not a drill the defense has always been up to par the only way that this team um can reach their accomplishments is if the defense is good more so than Grayson McCall I think Grayson McCall can be midling and we get where we need to go more likely um than if Grayson McCall is great but the defense is mid a clip that I have saved and I hope to use several times over the course of the season on Twitter is of Kenton saying NC State doesn't need Mcall to be Superman but what if he is that's exactly where you start to dream in these types of scenarios because if grayon Mcall is in the conversation if he is a finalist for the Maxwell award then doing the math backwards NC State will be in Charlotte for the ACC Championship and they will be in the college football playoff that level of play will take you there there is really not a doubt in my mind things would have to go catastrophically wrong somewhere else for him to be a Maxwell finalist and us not get to those lengths at the end of the season but then working it back the other way we don't need him to be that Superman in order for us to get to Charlotte or get to the cfp we've said this several different times on here he just has to make the right play over and over and over if his completion percentage looks anything like it did during his days at Coastal he's going to have an outstanding season here at NC State hovering right around that 70% completion Mark that's going to do numbers you got Jordan Waters with you back in the back field got a revamp wide receiving core that will do incredible numbers this year but you don't need him to throw for 45 touchdowns in order to get to Charlotte I think anywhere in the neighborhood of like 30 plus patch touchdowns the thing about McCall is he can run as well I fully expect him to use RPO several different times and I'm going to say rough estimate I think he'll run for probably like six or seven Rush touchdowns this year adding all that up if he's in the neighborhood of like 38 to 40 total touchdowns you're going to be in the conversation for like 10-2 maybe even 11- one could even find yourselves at 12-0 so we don't need him to be a Maxwell Award winner again not gonna be mad if he is because that's going to take this program to Heights that we've never seen before but we just need Grayson McCall to be Grayson McCall we don't need him to be Clark Kent we just need him to be Grayson McCall because that alone is good enough perfectly said perfectly said that'll do it for us here on Tuesday the first episode on Tuesday that is be sure to hit that like button drop your comments down in the comment box let us know what you think about Grayson McCall landing on the Maxwell preseason award watch list can he really do it let us know down in the comments or if you think that he can't do it tell us the hurdles that you are worried about coming into the season anything else you have on your mind drop that down in the comment box as well we'll see you again later on this evening for our second episode of Tuesday be sure to hit that subscribe button and we'll see you then go pack go pack