Mack Brown goes in depth on Sam Howell's impact on Drake Maye

Sam Howell had a positive impact on North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, so says head coach Mack Brown.

Maye lit it up last season and is firmly in the Heisman conversation in 2023. That was definitely in part to the example Howell showed during his time with the Tar Heels.

Brown broke it down when he gave his UNC football summer update.

“I’m also very proud of (Sam) that he has really mentored Drake,” Brown said. “They talk every day and they play golf together and they hang out together and they’re having so much fun together. Sam’s experience, good and bad, is going to help Drake so much. And for a guy just to have done what he wants to do, I think it’s a wealth of knowledge for him coming in.” 

Brown mentioned what he has to do with Maye based on what he saw over the first two years of his development.

“What I have to do with Drake is settle him down because he’s so competitive,” Brown said. “And he’s so hard on himself. He’s like me when I say what happened on the two passes you missed in the spring game? He said, ‘My feet, you know, I gotta get better on my feet.’

“There’s never been two better people to lead your team. I’m so excited about Drake this year. He’s handled NIL so well, he handled the talk about transferring like an adult with me.”

The transition from Howell to Maye was practically seamless, giving North Carolina some of the best quarterback play in the country.

Brown also told a story about Maye and how humble he was despite national recognition. He also mentioned how Maye wants to put others before himself, especially in the NIL space. 

“I went to Pennsylvania with him for the Freshman of the Year Award, the Shaun Alexander Award and he was so humble and so nice,” Brown said. “And then when he got down, he said, ‘Did I tell everybody thank you or did I mess anything up?’ 

“And I look out the window the other day, and he’s out there with offensive linemen, and they’re shooting a video for something because he’s worried about the other kids not having as good an NIL situation as quarterbacks do. And then I look up and he’s got a seafood NIL deal for all the receivers. That’s just who he is. He’s worried about everybody else.”