Daily Links and Banter 7/18: Drake Maye, ACC Preview
Good Morning, it’s July 18th and Drake Maye is committed to Alabama
The recruiting cycle never sleeps and its wheels turned again on Wednesday night, as Drake Maye, the No. 3 recruit in the state of North Carolina for the 2021 class committed to Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Maye, a 6’4″ 200 lb. quarterback from Myers Park High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, is a four-star recruit and the No. 107 recruit in the country for the 2021 class. He’s also former UNC basketball player Luke Maye’s brother.
It’s a massively disappointing result for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who were pegged by many prognosticators as the favorite to land the talented quarterback. The right-hander has an impressive offer list, with Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame among those courting the prospect.
He’s just entering his junior season, so there’s plenty of time for Mack Brown to flip him. Quarterback also isn’t a massive need at the moment for the Tar Heels, with Cade Fortin and Sam Howell the incumbents to man the position for the next four years. Both were four-star recruits and Howell actually enters with higher accolades than Maye currently possesses.
Still, you can never have too much talent at the quarterback position and it slows Brown’s hot streak on the recruiting trail.
UNC currently has one recruit in the 2021 recruiting class- four-star safety Dontavious Nash from North Carolina. Signing Maye would’ve been a statement add for Brown and started off the class on an elite foot.
Last night’s scores
Soccer
NCFC 3 Loudoun International 0
NCFC pushes up to 34 points and a tie for third place in USL Eastern Conference.
Daily Links
Carolina Panthers Position Preview: Tight Ends
The Panthers have a lot of question marks on their roster after finishing 7-9 last season. When you have Greg Olsen, tight end shouldn’t be one of them. Olsen’s injury history makes that situation murky however, and the team may have to rely heavily on Ian Thomas.
Having Olsen will be a major help for either Cam Newton as he tries to return from a serious injury or a young quarterback needing a safety valve.
The Clemson Tigers are going to be the overwhelming favorite this season in the Atlantic Division. They return star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and there really isn’t a powerhouse in the division capable of challenging them.
Both N.C. State and Wake Forest are searching for starters at quarterback and it will be an interesting storyline to follow as the season progresses. Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson stated at ACC media days that the Demon Deacons are recruiting better due to better commitment from the athletic department and the team building into a perennial bowl team. Is this the season we see the Demon Deacons win eight or nine games?