The UNC football standout quarterback has been the best in the conference at his position thus far.
At the beginning of the season, UNC football fans were concerned about how the Tar Heels would replace Sam Howell at quarterback. Following a long and intense quarterback battle with Jacolby Criswell, Drake Maye took over and started the season behind center.
It didn’t take long for Maye to ease those concerns. The redshirt freshman got off to a sizzling start and hasn’t looked back, leading the Tar Heels to a 5-1 start while commanding an offense that ranks 8th in the nation in points per game.
The Tar Heel quarterback has made a name for himself nationally thoughout the first half of the season, going from “Luke Maye’s brother” to a potential Heisman Trophy Candidate. The numbers don’t lie when it comes to Drake’s production, as he ranks in the top ten nationally in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and quarterback rating.
Outside of his ability to throw the ball, Maye has proved to be a more than capable runner (over 300 yards and three touchdowns on the ground) and a player with an ability to make clutch, game-changing plays like this one last weekend at Miami:
A @PatrickMahomes-esque play by @DrakeMaye2 pays off with his second TD of the first half.
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) October 8, 2022
📺 https://t.co/DlRawxqLHz pic.twitter.com/4EKyzSUo6b
College football fans and talking heads around the country have taken notice of Carolina’s star QB, with today’s release of 247 Sports’ ACC quarterback rankings being the latest example.
.@UNCFootball’s Drake Maye takes the No. 1 spot in our ACC Midseason QB Rankings, via @BCrawford247 🐏🐏
— 247Sports (@247Sports) October 12, 2022
Who do y’all think should be higher? 👀
✍️ https://t.co/4FzdmFDFoL pic.twitter.com/RfFDo9ue1A
247 ranks Maye as the top quarterback in the ACC, with Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman rounding out the top three.
If Drake keeps producing and the Tar Heels keep winning, he might find himself being recognized as not only one of the best players in the ACC, but as one of the best in the country, at the Heisman Trophy Ceremony in December.
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