Written by DAVID GLENN

A decade ago, as a 14-year-old growing up in Charlotte, Drake Maye attended Super Bowl 50, held in the San Francisco area, as a spectator.

On Sunday night, in storybook fashion, the former University of North Carolina superstar returned to the biggest stage in all of American sports — in the same city, at the same stadium, before an estimated television audience of 100 million-plus — but this time as a 24-year-old National Football League standout competing in Super Bowl 60.

With a victory, Maye would have joined the likes of Tom Brady in an exclusive group of NFL quarterbacks who led their teams to the championship in just their second season at the professional level.

Instead, Maye experienced what unfortunately has become a familiar feeling for him, falling just one step short of the ultimate prize.

In 2016, when Maye attended the Super Bowl with his family, they watched their hometown Carolina Panthers fall 24-10 to the Denver Broncos, whose defense dominated throughout that contest.

In 2022, when Maye became the first UNC star since legendary linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1980 to be named the Atlantic Coast Conference football player of the year, Maye led the Tar Heels to the ACC title game. In that contest, Carolina was overwhelmed 39-10 by mighty Clemson, which had a star-studded defense and went undefeated in conference play that year.

Similarly, in this year’s Super Bowl, Maye and the New England Patriots were dominated 29-13 by the Seattle Seahawks, who had been the most dominant team — with the most suffocating defense — in the entire NFL this season.

Individually, Maye quickly has become by far the most successful NFL quarterback in UNC history. He finished a close second to Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford in this year’s Most Valuable Player voting, falling just one first-place vote short of joining Taylor as the only Carolina products ever to become an NFL MVP.

Already the most prominent member of one of UNC’s most famous sports families, Drake Maye is still — in one narrow sense — chasing his brothers Luke and Cole. In 2017, Luke famously helped lead Carolina to the NCAA title in men’s basketball, and Cole was a pitcher for the Florida Gators team that captured the College World Series.

Nevertheless, Drake Maye already has become a #3 overall NFL draft pick, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, a second-team All-Pro honoree, an MVP runner-up and a Super Bowl runner-up.

Given his youth and his famous work ethic, nobody should be surprised if he adds at least one championship ring to his crowded trophy case at some point, too.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Julio Cortez

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