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 DraftAfter 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 DraftThe 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 DraftDrake 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 […]
100 Years of Kenan Stadium: Rick Steinbacher Invades SpainRick Steinbacher, UNC's senior associate athletic director for facilities, has a lot on his plate when the Tar Heels play at Kenan Stadium.
2026 UNC Football Opponent Preview: SyracuseUNC will return home to host Syracuse at Kenan Stadium Saturday night. The Orange enter 2-4 overall and 0-4 in ACC play. Syracuse’s only FBS win this season was an overtime victory at UConn earlier in October. The Orange have lost to Cal, Pitt, Virginia and Louisville in the ACC. Fran Brown is in his […]
UNC's Peyton Seelmann Named ACC Linebacker of the WeekUNC’s Peyton Seelmann was named the ACC’s Linebacker of the Week Monday in recognition of his performance in the Tar Heels’ 24-20 win at Duke. Peyton Seelmann is your ACC Linebacker of the week! pic.twitter.com/ddQ4wQ3Jkk — Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) October 19, 2026 Seelmann was all over the field Saturday in Durham, leading all players with […]
This Week in UNC Sports: October 19-25, 2026This series of posts will be made weekly on Chapelboro with a full schedule of UNC sports contests, both in Chapel Hill and elsewhere. Note that game times and broadcast information are subject to change due to inclement weather or other factors. October will roll on with another very busy week of Tar Heel sports. […]
For Whom the Bill Tolls: Reactions to UNC Football's Win at DukeUNC forged multiple redemption arcs during its thrilling win at Duke Saturday night to take the Victory Bell back.
UNC Football Fights Off Duke Rally, Uses Late Touchdown to Win Victory Bell BackJaylen McGill scored a 24-yard touchdown and freshman cornerback Kenton Dopson intercepted a Blue Devil pass in the final seconds to help UNC fight off a Duke comeback and win 24-20 in Durham. HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/yf4x1tY56K — Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) October 17, 2026 “Heck of a football game,” said head coach Bill […]
'Coach, We've Got a Dawg': Xavier Lewis' Unlikely Journey from Unheralded Recruit to UNC StarXavier Lewis has established himself as one of UNC's best players in 2026, but his journey to stardom came from humble beginnings.
›
