Pat Narduzzi has some high praise for North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye ahead of the Panthers’ trip to Chapel Hill this weekend.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Narduzzi compared Maye to former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He indicated Pittsburgh’s defensive staff hasn’t seen a quarterback as good as Maye since Lawrence was in the ACC.

“He’s a first-round quarterback,” Narduzzi said. “You can mark that down now, redshirt freshman, he will be a first-round quarterback. I have no doubt about it. He’s got the size, he’s got the athletic ability. He’s got great vision, he’s calm in the pocket.

“He’s in the top two. We kinda compared him, just discussing who is this guy like, he’s like a Trevor Lawrence. Is what I think he is.”

Here’s video of Narduzzi’s thoughts on Maye and North Carolina’s offense:

So far this season, Maye has put together a very memorable freshman campaign. He leads the ACC in passer efficiency rating and is also one of the top rushers in the conference. He’s thrown for an ACC-best 24 touchdowns and has only three interceptions.

Despite b

eing young and inexperienced, Maye has already led UNC to four road victories this season. He’s also on the brink of leading North Carolina to its second-ever Coastal division title. UNC’s last appearance in the ACC Championship Game was in 2015.

It’s worth noting that Lawrence had a special freshman season as well, leading Clemson to the 2018 National Championship. He threw for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns despite not beginning that season as the starter.

North Carolina can virtually clinch the Coastal crown with a win over Pitt this weekend. UNC would have a three-game lead over every team in the division except potentially Georgia Tech, pending its result vs. Florida State in Week 9.

Kickoff is at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night.