Welter: It's now or never for Carolina football to take the next step

By Pat Welter, WRAL Sports reporter

"One year ago today, I was in a battle, competing everyday against a great other quarterback, and now I'm sitting here. The last year has been crazy," Drake Maye said to well over a dozen cameras and reporters inside a conference room in the Westin hotel at the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte.

"It comes fast, just enjoy it," Maye finished.

If the next 365 days are anything like the last, he'll be in a NFL training camp this time next season, possibly even a Heisman winner.

"I just try to stay grounded, keep the main thing the main thing," Maye said. "That's winning games and doing whatever I can to help this team win."

Maye is arguably the biggest draw at the ACC kickoff in Charlotte, and he will get a chance to showcase his skills in front of a national audience when North Carolina opens the season versus South Carolina down the street at Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 2. ESPN College Gameday is already slated to be there for the first full Saturday of the season.

"South Carolina – they turned it on at the end of the year," Maye said. "Two years ago – this exact same hotel – we stayed here for the bowl game. We didn't put our best foot forward."

Maye will try to avoid missteps of the past

The Duke's Mayo Bowl that Maye is referring to was a 38-21 loss to the Gamecocks. Maye's predecessor and friend Sam Howell quarterbacked that game and saw his draft stock plummet during a disappointing season following Carolina's trip to the Orange Bowl. Howell entered the 2021 season with his own Heisman and first-round draft hype. Poor offensive line and defensive play hurt Howell who ultimately was taken in the 5th round by the Washington Commanders. After a year as a backup, he's going to get a chance to start. Since that season, Carolina head coach Mack Brown has put the program through a series of changes that should prevent history from repeating with Maye.

"We've got the pride back in North Carolina. We're four years removed from winning two games," Brown said at his own podium set up on the other side of the room from Maye. "This team has gone to an Orange Bowl, gone to four straight bowl games. This team has won a division title, so there's a lot of great things."

Nobody can sell the Carolina program like Mack Brown. Listing the accomplishments out like that sounds impressive, but if you've watched closely it's hard not to think his program could have or should have done more. The 6-7 Howell season featured a puzzling loss at Georgia Tech, an epic, final-minute collapse at NC State and the listless Mayo Bowl performance.  To use a football word, the team lacked grit.  Brown responded by letting defensive coordinator Jay Bateman go and bringing Gene Chizik back after a hiatus from the game. The Chizik defense in 2022 didn't fare much better than Bateman's although as Brown will tell you, performed better down the stretch.

"Coach Chizik has the second year under his belt," Brown said. "The staff will be good together. I feel like we'll be good, and we'll get tested early. We've got a really tough schedule to start the season with some very physical teams."

Physicality is another area Brown has tried to improve with his hire of new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey from UCF. As good as Maye was last season, Carolina's inability to run the ball is one of the primary reasons they went 0-4 to close the season. With an improved run game and defense, Carolina has the potential to have a record that actually supports Maye's Heisman campaign.

"To win the Heisman you've got to win," Brown said. "If we had won against Georgia Tech and NC State, Drake would have been in New York ... Drake knows it's all about winning."

The College Football Playoff has poisoned all fan bases into thinking making the final four is the only way to be successful in a season. For a program like Carolina those kind of expectations aren't really fair or realistic. However if there's ever a year this might be it.

"Looking for a special season is an understatement," Maye said. "That's the goal. That's what's on our mind. I think we have the talent just have to be a player led team is the main thing and not losing games ourselves."

Giving up a 17-0 lead to Georgia Tech. Losing in overtime to NC State's fourth quarterback on a missed field goal. Those are examples from last season when Carolina beat themselves. That can't happen if you want to make the playoff. That can't happen if you want to win a Heisman which in a lot of ways is a team award. I give Brown credit for recognizing the changes he's needed to make. Brown's made the Tar Heels relevant again. This year offers an opportunity to take the next step, because if not now, then when?