21 Offensive Recruits to know in the '21 class: No.1 Drake Maye

In a new series of articles, Matt Ray and I will be taking a look at 21 offensive and 21 defensive players that will be high priority recruits for Tennessee in the class of 2021. I’ll be breaking down the offense, and Matt will be breaking down the defense. On offense, I figured I would start with the most important position on the field: the Quarterback. And this recruit looks to be the top priority for Tennessee's 2021 recruiting class at that position, and he’s committed to a rival school.

Drake Maye is a 6’5, 210lb 4-Star QB from Cornelius, North Carolina and plays for in-state powerhouse Myers Park. He is ranked as a top 10 QB nationally in his class, and when you turn on the film you can see why. Maye is an extremely efficient passer with quick release on short and intermediate routes and already shows college-ready passing mechanics. There’s also some athleticism passed down through bloodlines as his father was a Quarterback at North Carolina back in the 1980s. The more well-known member of the family from today’s standpoint is older brother Luke Maye, who played basketball for UNC and was a multi-year starter, who was All American once, All-ACC twice, and was on the 2017 national championship team. Despite these ties to North Carolina, Maye is currently committed to Alabama, but it looks like his recruitment isn’t completely finished.

Tennessee Quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke has made Maye the top priority at QB in the class and has kept a relationship with Maye that he kept the Vols in the race, despite the Alabama commitment. It would not surprise me to see Maye at least take a visit or two to Knoxville in the coming months, but something really important to watch is the depth chart at both schools. Both Tennessee and Alabama are bringing in two of the best Quarterbacks in the nation in Harrison Bailey and Bryce Young. If playing time is an important factor in the school that Maye decides on, that could potentially be something that causes him to both back off from the Alabama pledge and not consider Tennessee as heavily. In that situation, I think the home state Tar Heels would be the biggest threat, as the depth chart could potentially be wide open after his freshman year due to Sam Howell already looking like a 3 year player with an NFL future.

Of course, all of this could change between now and signing day in December. New teams could offer or turn the heat up and make it even more interesting, especially if he decommits. But as of right now, this looks like one of the most important offensive targets for Tennessee in the class of 2021. All elite teams stack good Quarterbacks on top of each other, and if Pruitt and staff can land another blue-chip QB the year after landing Harrison Bailey, that will speak volumes as to how recruits see the production and development of the offensive coaching staff.