NIL Success: Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall
While the UCF Knights are readying for the War on I-4 with the USF Bulls, one of the teams they are also battling with to possibly get into a New Year’s Six Bowl would be the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
There are certain rules that the modern college football bowl structure lives by, including making sure that the highest ranked Group of Five team that wins its conference championship reaches a New Year’s Six Bowl.
UCF is No. 22 in the latest College Football Playoff Poll and Coastal Carolina is unranked. Ironically, the Associated Press Poll has the Chanticleers 23rd and the Knights 25th. Luckily for UCF, that poll does not count towards figuring out which teams make specific bowl games.
One of the reasons that 10-1 Coastal Carolina is even in consideration for a major bowl would be its quarterback Grayson McCall. He’s a unique player that is helping to place Coastal Carolina on the map. He has 2,314 yards passing, completing 68.9% of his passes, and has 21-1 touchdown to interception ratio.
No wonder Coastal Carolina is playing so well. Before getting a shot to play in the National Football league, he’s also turning that situation into a prosperous business endeavor while still in college.
Inside The Knights is working with several college students that are helping to write articles about top-notch players and programs from around college football. Here’s a closer look at McCall and his off the field success via guest writer Ben Troob:
McCall embodies the qualities that all good brands and companies desire. He is loyal, passionate, dedicated, and hard-working. McCall has a positive attitude and optimistic outlook, which helps him perform at a high level. He also happens to be a hometown favorite and an all-around nice person.
The confluence of a personality like McCall's and the advent of “Name, Image, and Likeness” deal in college sports is a dream come true for both organizations that sponsor him, and McCall himself. His honesty and can-do attitude are endearing. After McCall tweeted that “I piss teal,” which are the colors of the Chanticleers, the floodgates opened for NIL deals.
First, Native Sons, a Myrtle Beach printing shop, is doing a deal with McCall and his saying in order to slap it on t-shirts and sweatshirts. Then, Nascar’s oldest superspeedway, Darlington Raceway, came calling on McCall. So did Tom Brady’s new apparel line.
McCall is even signing deals with an attorney group, Morgan & Morgan. This is all occurring because excellent performance coupled with excellent character is a home run for brands and organizations. The signal caller embodies both. McCall is who he is, and he is proud to be a North Carolina native and Coastal Carolina student-athlete.
The purity of McCall will not last forever and while it lasts, sponsors will try to capture this lightning in a bottle. Luckily, for McCall, and because of NIL rules in NCAA, he can sell that lightning while it shines bright.
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