Drake Maye recaps the growth he's seen in himself since arriving on UNC's campus

Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell are competing to become the next starting quarterback at North Carolina, and both UNC signal-callers have seen great growth since beginning their collegiate careers. That is especially true for Maye.

Maye came to UNC as a four-star recruit and the No. 8 quarterback in the 2021 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. With a full year now under his belt, Maye is looking to capitalize on his experience as he competes in the final months leading up to the regular season.

“Coming in early last year was a big deal,” Maye said. “It’s kind of just big things. High school you kind of get in the groove and you know what spring’s gonna look like. So kind of having that year of getting under my belt, just kind of trying to focus on certain things like different seasons. So spring just kind of get back in the flow of things. We were off a little bit in this summer trying to get my body right and working on some little things. Just trying to get better and maybe try to get some weight and stuff like that. But really ultimately just getting ready for camp. The season’s coming fast. So we’re coming up on it fast. So we’re just trying to get back to work and get things rolling here.”

As he looks to improve, Maye knows that it is a balance between growing both mentally and physically. Throughout the spring and summer months, he has emphasized learning the playbook even further while also trying to enhance his body physically.

“Obviously they got us working, they’re working us pretty good,” added Maye. “And then outside of that, we’re throwing with the guys and we have played their practices. So it’s kind of both, trying to balance both of them. But at the same time, football is the main part. So obviously throwing and getting that field work is most important.”

Maye: It’s ‘starting to come easier’ in Year 2 at UNC

Last season, Maye attempted just ten passes but did get some extended playing time late in the season against Wofford. He completed seven of his nine pass attempts in that game, throwing for 89 yards and one touchdown. He also had four rushing attempts for 38 yards.

With the starting job now in play in front of him, Maye knows that things are starting to slow down for him on the field.

“Obviously getting with the offense, just repping it for a year, it’s a lot different,” said Maye. “Walking in kind of like a deer in the headlights, being thrown into spring practice. But the game starts to slow down for you a little bit. And then we’re doing a lot of going back to the basics. So we’re just going back to the basics, drawing things up. Just seeing it, it’s a lot more clear. Things start to slow down.

“So I just feel like I’m processing things better. They say in high school the game’s so much faster when you get to college. It’s like that at the start, but you get a year and obviously I’ve been in some of those big-time games. But obviously in practice, starting to come quicker and come easier. So that’s probably the main thing.”