Last season, Gardner-Webb won the Big South Conference title, and advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs under coach Tre Lamb and with former Rabun County great Bailey Fisher leading the way at QB. Even as a freshman, fellow Rabun County grad (Class of 2022) Will McCraw was right there in the midst of it. Despite being in his first season, the former All-State lineman was determined to make the necessary adjustments and get on the field.

“The biggest adjustment that I went through going from high school to college was the speed of the game,” says McCraw, or ‘Big Mac’ as he’s long been nicknamed. “The speed in college is a lot faster, not only because of how much faster the players are but also because of how quick your pre-snap call can change right before the ball is snapped. So that was the big adjustment I had to get used to. In the beginning, it was hard, but as time went on, it got easier and I got used to it.”

Feature Photo by Gardner-Webb University

Those quick changes got Big Mac on the field for 9 games last season in the special run for the Bulldogs and help protect his former Wildcat teammate Fisher.

“It was really special to be able to play with the awesome group of guys that are at Gardner Webb and be able to make history with those guys,” adds McCraw. “It was really cool to be able to be on the team again with Bailey. It was really cool to be able to play with him. In high school, I was a freshman when Bailey was a senior, and that team that year had a lot of great players on it. So I was not able to play with him, but to be able to play with him in college was really cool.”

Now that year one is in the books, McCraw is in line to be part of the starting OLine. He’s determined to make that a reality, and he knows what he needs to do.

“Luckily, I made friends with some of the older OL we had, so they took me under their wing, helped me with any question I had, and told me what I needed to work on to be able to play,” says McCraw. “So without those guys, I probably would not be where I am right now. The mindset that I have to be able to put in work to become a starter has been the same as it has been since my freshman year of high school. I just give 110% to everything I do because if it is worth my time to do it, then I need to do it right and give it my full effort.”

The goals this season are bold, yet clear for 2023 for McCraw and Gardner-Webb.

“The team’s goals for the 2023 season are to be able to hold up a conference and an FCS National Championship trophy,” exclaims McCraw. “My personal goal is to be able to play the best I can to help Gardner Webb do that.”