UNC Football: Drake Maye named Manning Award Finalist

The UNC Football program’s star quarterback was named as one of the ten finalists for the annual Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Drake Maye is one of the nation’s top quarterbacks (as we all know at this point).

With the college football regular season officially complete, the UNC football program’s star was named a finalist for the annual Manning Award.

Maye was one of ten quarterbacks to make the cut, as the Manning Award, which is sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced on Thursday. This year’s winner will be announced after bowl game season is over, as the award takes into account a player’s production in their respective team’s bowl game.

Throughout the 2023 college football regular season, Maye ranked seventh in the nation with 3,608 passing yards as well as eighth in passing yards per game (300.7). He finished third in the FBS in total offensive yards, as his 449 rushing yards played a large role in that aspect.

Among ACC qualifiers, Maye ended the regular season leading the conference in the following categories: passing attempts (425), completions (269), passing yards (3,608), attempts per game (35.4), and yards per game (300.7).

Maye solidified himself as one of the best quarterbacks in program history, as he likely will finish his career as a Tar Heel fourth on the all-time total offense list (9,227 yards). His three 400+ yard passing games are tied for the most in program history, as he also ranks in the top-five in UNC football lure with the second-most 300-yard passing games (12), fourth-most career touchdowns (62), fifth-most passing yards (8,018) as well as the sixth-most completions (618).

The list of quarterbacks who join Maye on the list of Manning Award finalists is as follows:

Carson Beck – Georgia

Jayden Daniels – LSU

Dillon Gabriel – Oklahoma

Drake Maye – North Carolina

J.J. McCarthy – Michigan

Jalen Milroe – Alabama

Bo Nix – Oregon

Michael Penix Jr. – Washington

Jordan Travis – Florida State

Caleb Williams – USC

The UNC football program has been fortunate to have Drake Maye under center in each of the last two seasons, as he’s been one of the nation’s best and has proven that he is very deserving of being one of the top quarterbacks selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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