Coach Mack Brown of North Carolina stated on Friday that he does not anticipate quarterback Drake Maye will use the transfer portal to leave the Tar Heels this offseason.
Before Saturday’s ACC championship game between Clemson and North Carolina, Brown stated during a press conference, “I don’t think Drake will go anywhere because he’s a Carolina family.”
“This game is really important to us, so our coaches have been hesitant to say, ‘Hey Ross, are you leaving, man? I know you’ve got to play Saturday night, but are you out of here? Are you going to play or are you going to stay?” Brown said. “So we’ll have some guys playing tomorrow night that will probably be leaving on Monday, and that discussion will either come Sunday or Monday morning.”
Maye ranks fourth among FBS players in both passing yards per game (320.6) and passing touchdowns (35). The redshirt freshman is not eligible to enter the NFL draft until after the 2023 season.
In July 2019, Maye, a 2021 recruit, verbally committed to Alabama before to his junior year of high school. However, two months later, 2020 class member and five-star recruit Bryce Young switched his pledge from USC to Alabama. Maye switched his own commitment from Alabama to North Carolina in March 2020.
Maye, a native of Charlotte, was a Tar Heel basketball player, as was her older brother Luke. According to 247 Sports’ aggregate ranking, Drake Maye was a four-star prospect and the ninth-best quarterback in his class when he graduated from high school.
Maye’s status could be of interest to Alabama because the Tide will almost certainly lose Young to the NFL draft this offseason. Redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe and freshman Ty Simpson are the other quarterbacks on Alabama’s roster.
