Drake Maye: The sky's the limit for North Carolina

North Carolina sits at 6-0 and at No. 10 in the nation after the first seven weeks of the season. Now, as they come down the stretch of October and into November, QB Drake Maye has no doubts about what UNC can be.

Maye expressed that feeling following the Tar Heel’s 41-31 victory over Miami last weekend. Based on what he has seen, he and his team have a very bright future.

“I think the sky is the limit for this group,” said Maye.

That’s because, in his eyes, North Carolina has handled everything that has come their way well to this point. No team can be at their best each week, which is why Maye is proud of the Tar Heels for finding a way to be undefeated at this moment

“I mean I feel like any team can say that out there when they’re planning all summer,” said Maye. “That’s the thing about college football. When you handle adversity, when things aren’t going well, how are you going to respond?”

“It’s hard for teams to go out there every week and play perfect. You don’t see that,” Maye said. “It’s about bringing it every week. You’re not going to be perfect.”

North Carolina can’t take their foot of the gas, though. They’ve earned their opportunity through six games and will need to keep that pace over the back half of their season to reach that ceiling that Maye sees above their team.

Mack Brown opens up on North Carolina’s national ranking

It’s great and all that North Carolina is currently No. 10 in the nation, especially since they’ve earned it. Still, Mack Brown wants the Tar Heels focused on the right thing at the right time now that they’ve cracked the Top-10.

Brown addressed UNC’s ranking in the AP Poll during his press conference on Monday. He said that it was so unimportant that their spot honestly went out from his mind. However, he did admit that this rating was more valuable to him than past ones since it reflects a body of work.

“We always talk about the poll on Sunday and then we never mention it again,” said Brown. “I had actually forgotten we were tenth, very honestly.”

“The difference is, this year, we’ve earned being tenth,” Brown continued. “In ’21? We were given it before the season based on the year before. I don’t count those.”

The overall point Brown is making is that, in mid-October, the rankings hold little value.

“What I have talked to them about is, in our lives moving forward, polls are going to matter more because of the playoffs,” said Brown. “The polls aren’t important until the College Football Playoff poll comes out here in a couple of weeks. That’ll be the one that matters.”

Now, since the Tar Heels have cracked the Top-10 for the third time in four years, Brown knows the challenge from here is to remain in it.

“I think they appreciate being where they are, they’ve worked hard to earn that, and they know that it’s fleeting. You better win,” Brown said. “I think there’s eight undefeated teams left in the Power Five and I told them, ‘Every time you look up? There’s fewer.’”