One of the top quarterbacks in college football over his two years as a starter for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Drake Maye has become one of the sport’s most recognizable and transcendent names.
Having a family legacy with the program led Maye to Chapel Hill, where his college stats showcase how he became one of the nation’s most productive and talented signal callers.
Drake Maye Plays Backup as a True Freshman
There was never any doubt that Maye was going to play college football. His dad played football at North Carolina in the 1980s, where he met Drake’s mom. His brother, Luke, also attended UNC and became a legendary Tar Heels basketball player.
Maye enrolled with the program early as a four-star recruit, but he had to bide his time in Chapel Hill and redshirted his freshman season. He started his career as the QB3 on the Tar Heels’ depth chart behind starter Sam Howell and backup Jacolby Criswell.
The freshman quarterback appeared in the maximum of four games allowed to preserve a redshirt year but split some reps when Howell got injured. Maye played a half against Wofford and completed seven of his nine passes for 89 yards and one touchdown.
Completions: 7
Attempts: 10
Yards: 89
Comp. %: 77.8%
TDs: 1
INTs: 0
Rush Attempts: 6
Rush Yards: 62
Rush TDs: 0
Maye Becomes the Starter and Thrives in His Second Year
With Howell declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft, Maye entered into a quarterback competition with Criswell through the spring, edged out the starting job in what was described as a close battle, and was instantly named a team captain.
Maye took his opportunity and never looked back, excelling in his first career start against Florida A&M. He completed 29 of 37 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns, becoming the first UNC quarterback to throw for five touchdowns in his first start.
He backed up the exceptional debut in week two against rival App State. Maye led the Tar Heels to a narrow 63-61 win over the Mountaineers, completing 24 of his 36 passes for four touchdowns. Meanwhile, he also had 76 yards and one touchdown rushing.
Maye started all 14 games of his freshman season, setting school records for passing yards (4,321), completions (342), and attempts (517). He became only the fifth quarterback in ACC history to have over 5,000 yards of total offense.
Maye received awards and praise, including Freshman of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, and Manning Award finalist, finishing the year as one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the country.
Completions: 342
Attempts: 517
Yards: 4,321
Comp. %: 66.2%
TDs: 38
INTs: 7
Rush Attempts: 184
Rush Yards: 698
Rush TDs: 7
Maye Continued To Impress in Final Year at UNC
Entering his redshirt sophomore year, expectations for Maye ramped up again. Many anticipated he would become a high NFL Draft selection if he could replicate his form from the previous season.
With UNC hiring a new offensive coordinator and a handful of offensive playmakers heading to the NFL, it would be challenging for Maye to reproduce again.
However, it didn’t hinder his performances early in the season, as the Tar Heels started the season with six consecutive wins. What was showcased, though, was that Maye had to be Superman.
Omarion Hampton took a lot of the strain of the running game, but with limited passing weapons around him, the Tar Heels’ success through the air fell solely down to their signal-caller.
The offensive deficiencies eventually caught up with UNC and impacted Maye’s college stats later in the season, while the Tar Heels lost four of their final six games.
KEEP READING: North Carolina Tar Heels’ Top 10 Returning Players in 2024
Averaging over 300 yards per game, Maye ended the season with 3,608 yards and 24 passing touchdowns. He was named to the second-team All-ACC and declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Maye leaves Chapel Hill ranked fifth in all-time passing yards and fourth in passing touchdowns.
Completions: 269
Attempts: 425
Yards: 3,608
Comp. %: 63.8%
TDs: 24
INTs: 9
Rush Attempts: 112
Rush Yards: 449
Rush TDs: 9
Maye’s Final College Stats
Completions: 618
Attempts: 952
Yards: 8,018
Comp. %: 64.9%
TDs: 63
INTs: 16
Rush Attempts: 302
Rush Yards: 1,209
Rush TDs: 16
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