North Carolina Quarterback Drake Maye Emerges As Heisman Candidate, Sab saum toj NFL Draft Prospect

Thaum lub caij ntuj sov 2019, nkag mus rau nws lub xyoo junior hauv high school, Drake Maye cog lus mus ua si quarterback ntawm Alabama, qhov kev pab cuam tshaj plaws hauv kev ncaws pob hauv tsev kawm qib siab. Tab sis ob peb lub hlis tom qab, thaum Lub Peb Hlis 2020, Maye hloov nws lub siab thiab cog lus rau North Carolina, qhov kev txiav txim siab ntawm qhov chaw zoo li khib.

Tom qab tag nrho, Tar Heels tsis muaj nyob ze ntawm lub cache ntawm Crimson Tide. Lawv tau tawm ntawm ib lub caij uas lawv mus 7-6 nyob rau hauv thawj xyoo tus thawj coj qhia Mack Brown, thiab lawv tau yeej ntau tshaj yim ua si hauv ib lub caij ib zaug txij li xyoo 1997.

Tseem, Maye muaj kev sib raug zoo rau lub tsev kawm ntawv: nws txiv, Mark, yog ib tug quarterback ntawm UNC xyoo 1980s thiab nws tus tij laug, Lukas, yog tus ntaus pob basketball nrog Tar Heels thiab yog ib tug tswv cuab ntawm lawv pab pawg 2017 lub teb chaws.

Tam sim no, Drake Maye tau tshwm sim los ua tus neeg ncaws pob zoo tshaj plaws hauv nws tsev neeg thiab sib cav tias qhov kev cia siab zoo tshaj plaws hauv kev ncaws pob hauv tsev kawm qib siab txawm tias nws tseem tsis tau tsim nyog tau tsim kom txog thaum 2024.

Nyob zoo Maye? Dane Brugler, tus saib xyuas NFL tus kws tshuaj ntsuam xyuas nrog Tus Athletic, tso tawm cov lus no hauv Twitter lub lim tiam dhau los: "Kub coj: Kuv xav tias Drake Maye yuav yog QB1 hauv chav kawm no yog tias tsim nyog." Qhov ntawd txhais tau hais tias Maye yuav raug muab tso rau saum Alabama's Bryce Young thiab Ohio State's CJ Stroud, ob leeg tau kwv yees ua tsib qhov kev xaiv tag nrho hauv 2023 cov qauv.

Brugler kuj tau sau tias Maye "zoo li Justin Herbert tom ntej," hais txog Los Angeles Chargers lub hnub qub quarterback. Ob leeg yog cov neeg ua si ntau yam uas tuaj yeem pov thiab khiav thiab muaj qhov loj me: Maye yog 6-foot-5 thiab 220 phaus, thaum Herbert yog 6-ko taw-6 thiab 236 phaus.

Dan Orlovsky, tus qub NFL quarterback thiab ESPN tus kws tshuaj ntsuam, teb rau Brugler's Tweet.

Orlovsky sau hais tias "pom zoo," Orlovsky sau.

Ua ntej lub caij no, ob peb, yog tias muaj, cov neeg tuav Maye hauv kev saib xyuas siab. Ntawm Myers Park High School hauv Charlotte, NC, Maye pov rau ntau dua 6,700 yards thiab 86 touchdowns hauv ob xyoos ua ntej pib, thiab nws yog 9th qib siab tshaj plaws nyob rau hauv chav kawm ntawm 2021, raws li mus rau 247Sports Composite.

Tseem, raws li tus tub ntxhais kawm tshiab ntawm UNC lub caij nplooj zeeg dhau los, Maye tau tshwm sim hauv plaub qhov kev ua si nkaus xwb, ua tiav 7 ntawm 10 kis rau 89 yards thiab touchdown thiab nqa pob rau lub sijhawm rau 62 yards. Nrog Sam Howell, pib peb xyoos, tawm mus rau NFL, Maye tau tuav lub xyoo no, thiab nws tau ci ntsa iab.

Maye tau khi nrog Stroud thawj zaug hauv lub tebchaws nrog 34 touchdown hla thiab khi nrog Oregon quarterback Bo Nix thawj zaug hauv cov ntsiab lus uas lub luag haujlwm rau (236). Nws kuj yog thib peb hauv kev ua tau zoo (178.9) thiab dhau yards (3,412); thib tsib nrog 70.1% kev ua tiav feem pua; thiab thib rau nrog 9.45 yards ib kis sim. Tsis muaj lwm lub quarterback hauv lub tebchaws yog nyob rau saum 10 hauv txhua pawg.

Maye qhov kev ua tau zoo tsis tau ploj mus tsis pom, raws li BetMGM, DraftKings thiab PointsBet sau nws tias muaj qhov tsis sib xws thib peb los yeej Heisman Trophy, raws li cov ntaub ntawv tso ua ke los ntawm RotoWire. Stroud yog tus nyiam, ua raws li Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Yog tias Maye yeej Heisman, nws yuav dhau los ua thawj tus neeg ua si UNC los yeej qhov khoom plig thiab tsuas yog tus thib peb redshirt freshman yeej, koom nrog quarterbacks Johnny Manziel ntawm Texas A&M hauv 2012 thiab Jameis Winston ntawm Florida State hauv 2013.

Maye tus neeg sib tw yuav nyob ntawm seb nws ua tau li cas hauv ob lub caij nyoog kawg nkaus hauv tsev tawm tsam Georgia Tech thiab North Carolina State thiab ACC Championship kev ua si thaum Lub Kaum Ob Hlis 3 tawm tsam Clemson hauv Charlotte.

Txij li thaum poob, 45-32, rau Notre Dame thaum Lub Cuaj Hli 24, North Carolina tau yeej rau qhov kev sib tw, suav nrog plaub los ntawm peb lub ntsiab lus lossis tsawg dua. Tam sim no Tar Heels yog 9-1 thiab tawm mus rau lawv qhov zoo tshaj plaws pib txij li xyoo 2015 thaum lawv pib 11-1 ua ntej poob rau Clemson hauv ACC lub npe game thiab Baylor hauv lub tais ua si.

UNC tau ranked 15th hauv College Football Playoff qeb duas lub lim tiam dhau los thiab yuav tsum tau nce mus rau hauv cov qeb duas lub lim tiam no, uas yuav tshaj tawm rau hnub Tuesday hmo ntuj. Yog tias Tar Heels tuaj yeem yeej lawv qhov kawg peb qhov kev ua si, thiab ob peb pab pawg saum lawv poob, lawv tuaj yeem muaj kev txhaj tshuaj nce mus rau CFP. Thiab kom nyob rau hauv txoj haujlwm ntawd, ntau qhov credit mus rau Maye.

"Nws yog ib lub quarterbacks zoo tshaj plaws hauv lub tebchaws," UNC tus kws qhia Mack Brown hais rau Cov neeg sau xov xwm tom qab Tar Heels yeej Wake Forest, 36-34, ntawm txoj kev hnub Saturday. "Kuv tsis tuaj yeem xav tias nws tsis nyob hauv New York (raws li ib tus ntawm Heisman finalists)."