Drake Maye is taking his talents to the pros.

The decorated UNC quarterback officially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft on Monday. He will not play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against West Virginia on December 27.

Though Maye only started two seasons for Carolina, he leaves Chapel Hill as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in school history. His 4,321 passing yards as a redshirt freshman in 2022 is comfortably the highest single-season total for a Tar Heel quarterback, with his 3,608-yard 2023 season ranking fourth. Maye’s career total of 8,018 yards ranks fifth, behind only Bryn Renner (8,221), Darian Durant (8,755), T.J. Yates (9,377) and Maye’s predecessor, Sam Howell (10,283). Maye also accounts for two of UNC’s top 10 single-game passing yard totals, with his career high of 448 against Wake Forest in 2022 ranking fourth.

Maye also ranks fourth in program history in passing touchdowns with 63. His 38 touchdowns in 2022 tied him for the school record with Sam Howell’s 2019 campaign. Maye and Howell are also the only Tar Heel quarterbacks to ever post three games with at least five touchdown passes.

Maye won numerous accolades for his 2022 season, including being named the ACC Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year. He became the first Tar Heel since Lawrence Taylor to win ACC Player of the Year honors. In addition, Maye took home the nationwide Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. He was a finalist for the Manning Award (honoring the best quarterback in the country) and a semifinalist for the Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards (honoring the national player of the year).

Maye is seen by many to be one of the top NFL prospects in the country, with some draft boards projecting to be the No. 1 overall pick. UNC has never had a No. 1 overall pick in football, though several Tar Heels have gone No. 2 overall, including Taylor and Julius Peppers.

With Maye out of the picture, second-string quarterback Conner Harrell is in line to start the bowl game.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward

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 biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Baltimore Ravens Take UNC WR Tez Walker in 4th Round of 2024 NFL Draft
After one season with the Tar Heels, Tez Walker is league-bound. The Baltimore Ravens selected Walker in fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon. Walker became the third Tar Heel to hear his name called in this year’s draft, after quarterback Drake Maye was selected No. 3 overall in the first round […]
UNC LB Cedric Gray Selected by Tennessee Titans in 2024 NFL Draft
The Tennessee Titans selected Tar Heel standout Cedric Gray in the fourth round of the NFL Draft with the 104th overall pick on Saturday.
UNC Quarterback Drake Maye Selected by New England Patriots in 1st Round of 2024 NFL Draft
Drake Maye has a new home. The New England Patriots selected the former UNC star quarterback and 2022 ACC Player of the Year with the No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. It’s the highest a Tar Heel has gone in the draft since Mitch Trubisky was […]
College Football's Transfer Portal Is Open. Which Tar Heels Have Entered?
The college football transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2 and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16. It will be the only transfer portal window of the year for college football, as the NCAA moved to eliminate the spring transfer window earlier this year. Players do not have to have committed to and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Building Depth
These days, college football recruiting is more about the money the athletes can now make in what has become a semi-pro system.
Chansky's Notebook: A Star is Born
In his second NFL season, Drake Maye has already established himself as the best quarterback that UNC football has ever produced.
Several UNC Football Stars Will Return to Chapel Hill in 2026. Here's the Full List.
In an era of unrestricted player movement in college football, teams are undergoing radical changes every offseason. Take UNC before the 2025 season, when the Tar Heels upended their roster and brought in 70 new players. This offseason, there is only one transfer portal window, between Jan. 2 and Jan. 16. More than two dozen […]
Here's a List of Which Transfers Have Committed to UNC Football in 2026
The college football transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2 and will close Friday, Jan. 16. Here’s a list of players who have committed to head coach Bill Belichick and UNC out of the portal so far, with their classes for the 2026 season: QB Billy Edwards, Jr. (Most recent school: Wisconsin, redshirt senior) Ranked 3rd […]
UNC Football Hiring Bobby Petrino as Offensive Coordinator
UNC is hiring Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino as its next offensive coordinator. Petrino will replace Freddie Kitchens, who was fired after his lone season calling plays in 2025. It’s official! Welcome to Chapel Hill, @CoachBPetrino! 🐏🏠 🔗: https://t.co/XOaBDLO617 pic.twitter.com/gjE8D8lv6O — Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) January 9, 2026 In a statement, UNC head coach Bill Belichick called Petrino […]
Report: UNC Starting QB Gio Lopez Will Enter Transfer Portal
According to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, Gio Lopez, who started 11 of UNC’s 12 games at quarterback in 2025, will enter the transfer portal. Lopez’s announcement comes just a day after Carolina reportedly received a commitment from former Maryland and Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards, Jr. out of the transfer portal. Before Edwards’ commitment, Lopez […]
›