“I dreaded it for a while” - North Carolina’s Drake Maye gets candid about not choosing Nick Saban’s Alabama ahead of the 2024 NFL draft
North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is one of the incognito's in this year's edition of the NFL draft. Maye was once considered the almost undisputed second-best quarterback in this current class of players, but his stock has tanked a little, especially given the Heisman Trophy win by LSU signal-caller Jayden Daniels.
How far Maye might drop in the draft is still yet to be known. However, it seems that the situation is weighing heavily on his mind, as he recently opened up about his regret of de-committing from Nick Saban's Alabama as a high school recruit.
On the "Dan Patrick Show," Maye said:
"I dreaded it for a while, Coach Saban was one of my favorites in the recruiting process, so having to tell him that I'm going to stay home was tough. But I think coach Saban understood. Maybe it would have worked out a little differently, but at the same time, coach Saban, I think he's the GOAT of college football. He turned out all right."
Only a select few get the chance to play under the greatest-ever college football coach, and in the twilight of his illustrious career, it would have been a unique privilege for Drake Maye.
What drew Drake Maye to Alabama initially?
It's widely known that the Tuscaloosa program stands out from the rest due to its competitive mindset. After all, you don't dominate college football for almost two decades without a winning mentality. Maye also spoke about this on the show and how it drew him in.
"It's the winning mentality, I went down there in the spring and then for camp in the summer. I loved it," Maye said. "I sat down with coach Saban, just talked about the winning mentality, it's all about winning down there. To have coach Saban say in the 2021 class that I was a big target, it meant a lot to me. I just felt like why not Bama, right? It's the best place in the country."
Do you think Drake Maye could've succeeded at Alabama? Let us know in the comments.