Week “0” Player to Watch: Drake Maye

North Carolina opens the season early with a week “0” match-up against Florida A&M. Florida A&M is an FCS school that went 9 – 3 in 2021 and should be strong again in 2022. Florida A&M is not a pushover from the FCS, but that’s not the only reason this will be a big game for the Tar Heels. North Carolina is breaking in a new starting quarterback after three seasons of Sam Howell manning the position. On Monday, Drake Maye was named the starter and all eyes will be on the sophomore signal caller Saturday night.

Maye was UNC’s top offensive recruit in the 2021 class. He played sparingly as a reserve during the 2020 season, completing 7 of 10 passes for 89 yards and 1 touchdown, while rushing for 62 yards on 6 carries. Obviously playing in mop-up duty against Wofford is not the same as starting and facing the first team defense and a game-plan designed to stop you. This will be the first true test for Maye as the North Carolina starter and will provide some insight into what fans can expect from him in 2022.

Physically, Maye has a prototypical build at 6’4″ 220 lbs and the skill set to succeed at the position. He has the arm talent to thrive at the collegiate level and the ball placement to beat good defenses. His small sample size from 2021 displayed the ability to be a crafty play-maker who is creative with the ball in his hands and finds ways to get the football to his weapons. There is little doubt that Maye has the physical ability to star in college, but how he fares when the bullets are flying will determine if he can thrive as the starter.

While Florida A&M is an FCS opponent, they are a good FCS team, with a strong defense in 2021. The defense ranked 13th in FCS giving up 4.5 yards per play and 8th in FCS in passer efficiency against. The defense may not be a tough test by Power Five standards, but they will provide some challenges for a first time starter at quarterback. Maye will have to show that he can quickly read the defense and make good decisions in a live game situation. This will be his first collegiate action while the game is still in question, there is always an unknown element until a quarterback proves he can handle that situation.

Success or failure on Saturday night will not define Maye’s career. It will be more about how he handles certain situations the game presents. Those moments will create hope or doubt that he can be a winning quarterback for the Tar Heels. How he responds after his first sack or bad throw will be more telling than the final stat line. Maye will showcase his accuracy throughout the game, finding Josh Downs and company in space. More importantly, he will show that he can make the money plays, beating a blitz on an obvious passing down or looking off a defender to create space for his receivers. These are the plays that will provide a glimpse at what he can become as the season progresses.

There will be plenty of opportunities to see what the young quarterback is made out of and what we can expect from him as the competition stiffens. The schedule sets up well for the young quarterback to get his feet wet as the starter. While it is only the first step, all eyes will be locked on Maye to see how the touted quarterback performs.

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