Drake Maye

Drake Maye (born August 30, 2002) is an American football quarterback for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Early life and high school career Maye was born on August 30, 2002, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended and played high school football for Myers Park High School in Charlotte, where he was named MaxPreps North Carolina player of the year. He was a four-star prospect and originally committed play college football at Alabama before flipping to North Carolina. College career Coming into his true freshman season third on the depth chart, Maye played little in 2021. He redshirted, appearing in four games over the course of the season, the maximum amount allowed for players desiring to keep their redshirt. When starter Sam Howell was injured and unable to play against Wofford, Maye saw the most extended action of his career to that point. Splitting halves with the other backup, Jacolby Criswell, Maye completed 7 of his 9 pass attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown, the first of his career. He also registered four carries for 38 yards. 2022 With Sam Howell leaving for the NFL, Maye and Criswell battled for the starting QB spot heading into the 2022 season. After what was described as a very close position battle, Maye won the job and was named the starter on August 22, 2022, five days before the week zero season opener. In his first career start against Florida A&M, Maye completed 29/37 pass attempts for 294 yards and 5 touchdowns and rushed four times for 55 yards. Maye became the first Tar Heel quarterback to throw for five touchdowns in his first start. The next week, on the road against in-state foe App State, Maye threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns and added 76 yards and a touchdown on the ground in the Tar Heels' thrilling 63–61 victory. In week 2, Maye led the Tar Heels to another win, this time over Georgia State, passing for 284 yards and two touchdowns with a 79.2% completion percentage and 197.7 passer rating, both his highest of the season to date. After a bye week, Maye threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns against Notre Dame in a 45-32 loss at home. The next week, Maye and the Tar Heels responded well to their first loss of the season with a 45-10 blowout of Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill. He threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns and ran 13 times for 73 yards and two touchdowns. His 436 total yards were a season-high, as was his 94.8 QBR.