College football rankings: Sam Howell, Spencer Rattler and the top 20 quarterbacks of 2021

12. Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina emerged as one of the Group of 5 darlings in the 2020 season as they passed one test after another and remained undefeated until a bowl-game loss to Liberty (another mid-major darling). And the driving force behind their success was undoubtedly then-redshirt freshman quarterback Grayson McCall seemingly mastering Jamey Chadwell’s hybrid option offense.

At the helm of an option-based offense, it’s no surprise that McCall had an impressive showing as a rusher, going for 569 yards and seven touchdowns in the ground game. But what separated him and the Chanticleers from traditional triple-option approaches was the quarterback’s ability to attack through the air, throwing for 2,488 yards, 26 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Now, still just a redshirt sophomore and with the majority of the pieces from last year’s team still in place, save for running back C.J. Marable, McCall should continue to lead an impressive Coastal Carolina offense. He has more experience and should mature while still being in an exceedingly well-designed system.

This might be unfair to a degree, but that offense is why McCall falls outside of the top 10. He feels a bit like a byproduct of the system he plays in and may be limited in terms of overall quarterback talent. He’s still among the best in the country but not quite on an elite tier in my eyes.