Mack Brown explains how Drake Maye impacted UNC's recruitment of transfer weapons

A general thought in sports is that great players want to play with other great players. North Carolina head coach Mack Brown says that is the case with his Heisman candidate quarterback Drake Maye.

The Tar Heels landed two big-time wide receivers — Nate McCollum and Devontez Walker — in the transfer portal this past winter. Brown says Maye is a major reason why they are now playing in Carolina Blue.

“One of the main reasons those two are here is Drake,” Brown said after the Spring Game. “He recruited them and he recruited them hard. They came here because they believe in him. Drake is one of those guys that just subtly works so hard. He’s out there throwing with them every day. I’m surprised he’s not out there after the scrimmage throwing to them. He stays after every practice and throws to them. That’s just who he is.”

Walker, a transfer from Kent State, was the No. 13 wide receiver in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings. McCollum was No. 25.

The chemistry between Maye and the two wideouts was on display during the Spring Game. Brown expects that to continue to improve and deepen over the new few months.

“It’ll be so much better in the fall because he’s gonna throw to him every day between now and the time we start with preseason,” Brown said. “When you have a quarterback with experience, it really helps player lead practices. Drake knows the offense and we didn’t do anything today we hadn’t been doing on either side of the ball. We decided that we would not do anything today that we hadn’t done last year. That really limited both sides.”

Mack Brown has one of the nation’s top players in Drake Maye

Expectations are high for Mack Brown’s North Carolina team with Drake Maye under center this fall. Maye is considered one of the top players in the sport and one of the top potential picks ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.

On3 ranked Maye earlier this year as the No. 2 player in college football behind only defending Heisman Trophy winner and USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

“The Tar Heels’ season got off to a shaky start in 2022, but it quickly became apparent that Maye was going to be capable of lifting the team to some impressive heights,” On3 wrote. “The freshman threw for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns, while also rushing for 698 yards and seven scores. Perhaps most impressive was his toughness. Maye never hesitated to put his body on the line when it could help his team.”