Drake Maye’s Family Roots and Multi‑Sport Path Take Center Stage as Patriots Reach AFC Title Game

His ascent traces to a record-setting UNC career shaped by a close-knit athletic family.

Overview

The second-year quarterback leads New England into the AFC Championship in Denver after an MVP-caliber season under coach Mike Vrabel.
Selected No. 3 overall in 2024, he took over by Week 3 and earned a Pro Bowl replacement nod after his rookie season.
At UNC, he won 2022 ACC Player of the Year with school records of 4,321 passing yards and 38 touchdowns, plus 698 rushing yards and seven scores.
Maye is the youngest of four brothers; Luke became a UNC basketball standout with a famed 2017 shot and now plays professionally in Japan, Beau also played for UNC, and Cole pitched for Florida’s 2017 NCAA champions.
A high-school basketball standout at Myers Park, Maye drew Division I interest and lost his senior season to the COVID-19 shutdown.