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UNC football quarterback Drake Maye still wants to get better

Tar Heel standout headlines our preseason awards list

Eric Lusk

Published

August 17, 2023

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye rolls out of the pocket against Notre Dame last September. The Heels lost that game but went on to a nine-win season, with Maye picking up ACC Player of the Year honors. (Photo by Charles Brock/Icon Sportswire).

If you visit Drake Maye’s bio page on North Carolina football’s official Web site, GoHeels.com, plan on sticking around for awhile.

It will take time – and a bit of scrolling – to get through all of the accolades. Maye has only been the Tar Heels’ starter for one full season, and yet he has already built a resume worthy of a jersey retirement ceremony. Consider:

PFF Third-Team All-American (2022)
ACC Player of the Year (2022)
ACC Offensive Player of the Year (2022)
First-Team All-ACC (2022)
ACC Rookie of the Year (2022)
ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year (2022)
Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year (2022)
FWAA Freshman of the Year (2022)
FWAA Freshman All-American (2022)
Manning Award Finalist (2022)
Walter Camp National Player of the Year Semifinalist (2022)
Maxwell Award Semifinalist (2022)
Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist (2022)

And this is just the intro section – and doesn’t include all of the 2023 preseason honors Maye has been collecting the past few weeks and months (the Sports Information Department may not be able to keep up).

We’ll issue one more item of recognition, going with the obvious choice and selecting Maye as the NC Football News “Best In State” FBS Preseason Most Valuable Offensive Player. It is not quite the Heisman Trophy but a way for us to join the chorus telling the college football world just what a special talent UNC will have under center this season.

To review, his stat line from last season: 342 completions in 527 attempts, 4,321 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, seven interceptions, nine Tar Heel victories, one ACC championship game appearance. Maye posted stellar numbers with his feet in addition to his arm, rushing for 698 yards and another seven scores, with a long run of 42 yards.

It all started in Week 0 with a five-touchdown passing performance against Florida A&M.

“Drake had a great year last year,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said during ACC Media Days in July, as reported by On3.com. “The best freshman year of any freshman I’ve ever seen. He just got better and better and better, and people didn’t realize until 10 days before the opening game, we didn’t announce Drake as a starter. So for him to take the role of leader and lead his football team like he did and be consistent each week, was pretty phenomenal.”

Maye will have a new offensive coordinator in Chip Lindsey this season. Some of his favorite targets, like Josh Downs, have moved on. And one of the expected leaders of the retooled wide receiver room, Tez Walker, may not be eligible due to an NCAA transfer snafu.

But it’s safe to say big things still will be expected from Maye this season. He’ll get the national spotlight in game one, leading UNC against South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Kickoff Classic in Charlotte in prime time Saturday, Sept. 2. The home opener comes the following week against Appalachian State.

Brown thinks Maye’s encore could be even better than his debut year as the starter.

“After the season Drake came in to me and said, ‘Help me with these things – these are things I need to improve,’” Brown said. “That’s who he is. That’s why he is such a great player. He was raised in a family of champions. He was raised in a family of athletes. His dad was a great quarterback. So he is always looking at what I can do better instead of patting himself on the back.”

We’ll be the ones to pat Maye on the back by reiterating that, heading into this season, he is Best In State.

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