North Carolina quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] comes in at No.1 on Athlon Sports QB rankings for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Maye should be the top-ranked QB on any ACC list, so this ranking is unsurprising. However, the ACC has its fair share of talent at the QB position, including Florida State’s Jordan Travis.
Athlon Sports elaborated why Maye snagged the top spot in their ACC QB rankings.
1. Drake Maye, North Carolina
Maye certainly lived up to the hype (and then some) in his first year as the starter in Chapel Hill. High expectations surrounded the former five-star prospect after replacing Sam Howell and all Maye did was lead the Tar Heels to an ACC Coastal title and finish atop the conference in total offense per game (358.5). The North Carolina native threw for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns to just seven picks. He also paced the ACC with a completion rate of 66.2 and finished first in the conference with 13 completions of 40-plus yards. In addition to the big-time plays through the air, Maye ran for 698 yards (best among ACC quarterbacks) and seven touchdowns. The sophomore will have to adapt to a new play-caller (Chip Lindsey) and lost No. 1 receiver Josh Downs. But don’t expect Maye’s production or overall play to slip in ’23.
The Tar Heel has made numerous watch lists and is considered arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, drawing debates with last season’s Heisman winner, Caleb Williams.
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