Drake Maye lands in ESPN’s top tier of quarterbacks for 2023 season

Drake Maye made ESPN’s top tier of quarterbacks for the 2023 season, which it published on Tuesday morning.

ESPN’s David M. Hale tiered all 133 FBS quarterback situations, a

nd only one other passer joined Maye at the top in tier 1A: USC’s Caleb Williams.

Williams won last season’s Heisman Trophy, an award that Ma

ye is expected to compete for this season. In his breakout 2022 campaign, Maye threw for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Here’s some analysis from ESPN on Maye:

“Then there’s Maye, North Carolina’s burgeoning superstar who topped 5,000 yards of offense (most in FBS) and racked up 45 touchdowns in his first season as the starter in 2022 and had many draft analysts proclaiming he’d have been the first player taken in the 2023 draft, if only he’d been eligible.

Yes, there are critiques that will surely grow louder this year, but Williams and Maye are the real deal.”

He was also impactful as a rusher last season. Maye ran for 698 yards and 7 touchdowns while leading the Tar Heels to a 9-win season in 2022.

Maye was not the only ACC quarterback to be ranked highly. Florida State’s Jordan Travis made the next tier of quarterbacks nationally, per ESPN. Travis is alongside Oregon’s Bo Nix, Utah’s Cameron Rising and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.