Keeping It Heel
Fansided

North Carolina Tar Heels: Things Fans Should Be Thankful For

By Jordan Falls

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: The North Carolina Tar Heels wear #24 warmup jerseys to honor former player Walter Davis, who recently died, before the game against the Radford Highlanders at the Dean E. Smith Center on November 06, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: The North Carolina Tar Heels wear #24 warmup jerseys to honor former player Walter Davis, who recently died, before the game against the Radford Highlanders at the Dean E. Smith Center on November 06, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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UNC Football
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 07: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after throwing for a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange during the second half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on October 07, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 40-7. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Drake Maye

He’s only been in Chapel Hill three years and only gotten to play two seasons for the UNC Football program, but Drake Maye is one that all North Carolina Tar Heels fans are, and should be, thankful for. Maye has been the most prolific quarterback in program history and will likely become the second Tar Heel quarterback drafted in the top five of the NFL draft next spring, joining Mitch Trubisky.

What Maye has done the past two seasons in Carolina Blue is astonishing. During his career at North Carolina, he has completed 65.2% of his passes, thrown for 7,764 yards and 61 touchdowns while only throwing 14 interceptions. He has also rushed for over a thousand yards in his career, with 1,103 total yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

In just two seasons, Maye ranks sixth in career passing yards, just 201 yards behind fifth-place Marquise Williams, who has 7,965 yards. If he were to stay for a junior season, he would be on pace to surpass Sam Howell’s 10,283 yards for most all-time. He threw for the most yards in a single season during 2022 with 4,321 yards. He is currently tied for fourth all-time with Williams for passing touchdowns with 61 (Bryn Renner is third with 64 and Darian Durant second with 68).

The UNC Football program is 17-8 when Maye starts under center, and while Tar Heel fans can’t help but wonder what that record could’ve been with an average defense, it can’t be overlooked how many of those games were won because No. 10 was the starter.

While Maye opted not to participate in Senior Day two weeks ago versus Duke, and the fans didn’t get a chance to say “Thank You!” in Kenan Stadium, we will forever be thankful that Maye opted to follow in his family’s footsteps and chose to wear Carolina Blue! Saturday versus NC State could be his last game as a Tar Heel, and UNC Football fans will take it all in one last time.

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