Drake Maye is still considered a dark horse to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy. The UNC Tar Heels QB is near the bottom of the pack among top Heisman hopefuls, trailing Michael Penix Jr. of Washington.
Tar Heels fans will hope to see Maye’s odds shorten throughout the season as he leads his team to the top of the ACC.
While North Carolina online sports betting won’t be legal in time for fans to place futures bets on Maye’s Heisman odds, NCSharp is keeping tabs on Maye’s run to the Heisman.
We’ll be tracking the key stats and big-game performances that will define a Heisman season.
We’ll make stat updates after every game and answer the big-picture Heisman questions as they come. North Carolinians can track their homegrown Heisman hopeful throughout the 2023 NCAA football season.
Drake Maye 2023 Heisman stats
The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the best single-season performance by an NCAA football player.
Here are the stats that NCSharp thinks will best capture Maye’s body of work for the 2023 season. These stats will be updated weekly.
UPDATE: UNC finished a disappointing second half of the season with a launch to in-state rival NC State. Despite the poor run down the stretch, Maye’s performance this season cemented his position as a top pick in the NFL Draft should the sophomore declare.
- Completion Percentage: 63.3
- Total Passing Yards: 3,608
- Toral Rushing Yards: 449
- Passing Touchdowns: 24
- Rushing Touchdowns:
- Interceptions: 9
- QB Rating: 149.0
Heisman Questions
A stellar stat line will get a player into the Heisman conversation and keep him there, but it may not be enough to differentiate two stellar performances throughout the year.
When two or more players put up similarly incredible stat lines, Heisman voters must create their own factors to differentiate the great performances from the Heisman-winning performance.
Questions like the following could provide the tie-breaking analysis for the 2023 Heisman voters.
Did he have a strong second half of the season?
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. This mantra holds true for Heisman candidates as well.
Coming out hot is expected in college football because most early games come against non-conference opponents, some of which are cakewalks for Heisman candidates and their teams.
Finishing strong against more formidable conference opponents is so much more valuable in the eyes of Heisman voters because it establishes that the player has grit and big-game skills.
Maye looked strong in his first conference test against ranked Miami, but UNC’s second half was nothing but disappointing. While this falls on the defense more than anything, Maye’s 2023 campaign didn’t have the push it needed to lift him up the Heisman leaderboard.
Did he have a nationally-televised, big-game performance?
You can’t discount the significance of a big game on national TV. When Heisman voters start making their internal calculations, those big, nationally televised games will likely be the ones they remember first.
And while it might be the only blemish on an otherwise exceptional season, cementing your greatness under the bright lights and network TV cameras goes a long way to getting your name etched on the Heisman.
The win on Oct. 14 at home against ACC opponent (#25) Miami displayed the Tar Heels offense that most fans expected to see at the start of the season. With Tez Walker back in the lineup after a painful delay due to eligibility concerns, Maye and the Tar Heels steadily picked apart the Hurricanes’ defense. Despite only winning by ten, UNC had control of the game from the middle of the second quarter and Maye did what he’s done all year–protect the ball and dissect his opponent.
Did he have a ‘Heisman moment’: a signature play, drive, comeback, game?
This question could be folded into the previous question, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be.
Leading a heroic comeback in a tight game, making an incredible touchdown grab, scrambling for ages before putting a game-winning pass on a receiver’s numbers–these could all become a player’s defining Heisman moment.
If that moment were to come against a top opponent, all the better. NCSharp will be watching for those signature Heisman moments like this one in Drake Maye’s 2023 season.
Did he lead his team to a successful season?
While the Heisman is based on individual performance, most Heisman winners come from the best teams in the country.
The last five Heisman winners all played in the College Football Playoffs and three of them won the National Championship.
Maye’s season has ended, and, with UNC out of the ACC Championship Game, Maye’s college career is likely over as well.
For fans interested in UNC Football betting, there’s no doubt that all eyes will be on Drake Maye this season.
BetMGM has taken Maye off the board to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy.
UNC Tar Heels 2023 Schedule
| Home/Away | Date | Time | Opponent | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote location (Charlotte) | Saturday, Sept. 2 | 6:30 p.m. | South Carolina | W (31-17) |
| Home | Saturday, Sept. 9 | 4:15 p.m. | Appalachian State | W (40-34) 2OT |
| Home | Saturday, Sept. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | Minnesota | W (31-13) |
| Away | Saturday, Sept. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Pitt | W (41-24) |
| Home | Saturday, Oct. 7 | 2:30 p.m. | Syracuse | W (40-7) |
| Home | Saturday, Oct. 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Miami | W (41-31) |
| Home | Saturday, Oct. 21 | 5:30 p.m. | Virginia | L (31-27) |
| Away | Saturday, Oct. 28 | TBA | Georgia Tech | L (46-42) |
| Home | Saturday, Nov. 4 | TBA | Campbell | W (59-7) |
| Home | Saturday, Nov. 11 | TBA | Duke | W (47-45) |
| Away | Saturday, Nov. 18 | TBA | Clemson | L (31-20) |
| Away | Saturday, Nov. 25 | TBA | NC State | L (39-20) |
Image Credit: Chris Seward / AP
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