Drake Maye sits courtside for UNC-Duke game wearing Luke Maye's No. 32 jersey
There are few players in North Carolina history with as much family history invested in the Tar Heels as the Maye family. And of course, former UNC signal-caller Drake Maye simply couldn’t miss one of the biggest showdowns in sports–the Duke-UNC matchup on Saturday night. Maye decided to sit courtside and wear his older brothers, jersey, Luke Maye, who wore No. 32 for the ‘Heels during his basketball days.
Drake Maye’s dad, Mark, was the starting quarterback for UNC in the 1980s. Mark Maye led the team in total offense and passing in 1986 and 1987.
His brother, Luke Maye, is a former UNC basketball great. Maye was part of the Tar Heels 2017 team that won the national championship. Luke Maye also earned first team All-ACC honors in 2018 and second team All-ACC honors in 2019. For his career with the ‘Heels, he averaged 9.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
In a class that is considered strong at quarterback, Drake Maye sits close to the top of the bunch. For much of the last year, Maye has been side-by-side with USC quarterback Caleb Williams as the two top quarterbacks, and arguably overall players, in this class.
Maye sat behind Sam Howell, who is now starting in the NFL, as a freshman in 2021. He then battled for and later won the starting job ahead of the 2022 season, and solidified himself as one of college football’s best players.
In 2022, Maye completed over 66% of his passes while throwing for more than 4,300 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That success wasn’t quite enough to put him in the Heisman conversation, but he did finish 10th in Heisman voting in 2022. He also racked up ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year honors.
This season, Maye has had a dip in production, though remaining as a highly sought after professional prospect.
In addition to being a prolific passer, the North Carolina native brings added value as a runner. He has rushed for over 1,100 yards in his collegiate career, adding 15 touchdowns on the ground.
As a high school prospect in the 2021 cycle, he was ranked as the No. 45 overall player in the nation and a four-star prospect, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He was also ranked as the No. 8 quarterback prospect in the country and attended Myers Park (Charlotte, North Carolina).
On3’s Jonathan Wagner also contributed to this article.