Drake Maye is one of two dozen Tar Heels playing in the NFL.
Maye is getting most of the publicity, thanks to his phenomenal second year with the playoff-bound New England Patriots and a leader for MVP of the NFL. But ten of his teammates at Carolina are also in the league this season.
They are defensive back Alijah Huzzie and special teamer and former walk-on British Brooks with the Houston Texans, who had a massive upset of the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night. Then there is rookie Omarion Hampton, who missed seven games with a fractured ankle and returned to help the Los Angeles Chargers to an overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night.
Other Maye teammates who were exclusively coached by Mack Brown at UNC are Sam Howell and Willie Lampkin with the Eagles, Asim Richards with the New Orleans Saints, Bryson Nesbit with the Minnesota Vikings, Cedric Gray with the Tennessee Titans, Josh Downs with the Indianapolis Colts, Kaimon Rucker and transfer Tez Walker with the Baltimore Ravens. Ty Chandler of the Vikings played one season for Brown when Maye was a redshirt freshman.
Seven who finished playing for Brown after being recruited and coached by Larry Fedora are Charlie Heck with the Tampa Bay Bucs, Chazz Surratt with the Seattle Seahawks, Dyami Brown with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Javonte Williams with the Dallas Cowboys, Joshua Ezeudu and Tomon Fox with the New York Giants and Michael Carter with the Arizona Cardinals.
Those still in the NFL who were recruited and coached only by Fedora are M. J. Stewart with the Texans, Cole Holcomb with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mitch Trubisky with the Buffalo Bills and Mack Hollins, one of Maye’s favorite receivers with the Pats.
Bill Belichick is hoping to develop more players who will either be drafted by an NFL team or make one as a rookie free agent, like a number of the Tar Heels listed above.
With the messy transition from Brown to Belichick, and while UNC football has never won a national championship and last won the ACC title in 1980, Carolina still has a rich tradition of many great players who were celebrated All-Americans as well as NFL draft picks dating back to Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice who was runner up for the Heisman Trophy in 1948 and ’49. He played for the Washington Redskins at a time when the NFL was not nearly as popular as college football.
When we watch pro games on Sundays, Monday and Thursday nights, it is startling how many players are identified as “from North Carolina.” Maye, of course, has taken that to another level after being the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He is from an athletic-rich UNC family in Huntersville and has not let a $36 million contract keep him from working every day of the year to become the best football player he can possibly be.
Featured image via Associated Press/Charles Krupa
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
