Mack Brown has never beaten Alabama on the football field. Off the field Friday, however, the North Carolina head coach picked up a rather significant recruiting win.
July of last year, four-star 2020 quarterback Drake Maye committed to Alabama football. Twice after that commitment, Maye took unofficial visits to the Tuscaloosa campus. In late January, Nick Saban and a couple of his Crimson Tide assistants, including offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, visited the prospect.
A little over a month later, however, Maye announced on Twitter that he decommitted from the Alabama football program. And, in the same post, committed to playing his college football for North Carolina.
“First off, I’d like to thank Coach Saban and the entire staff for the opportunity to play at The University of Alabama,” Maye wrote. "[B]ut, after sitting down with my family I have decided to de-commit from Alabama.
“With that being said, I’m looking forward to playing for Coach Brown at The University of North Carolina. He, along with Coach Lango and Coach Bly, have been tremendous throughout my recruiting process. I couldn’t be more excited to become a Tar Heel!
“I am committed to the University of North Carolina! Go Heels!”
2021 four-star quarterback Drake Maye de-commits from Alabama and commits to UNC. https://t.co/IL0C4XGyAn
— Tyler Martin (@steventyler_15) March 6, 2020
Prior to his July commitment to Alabama football, Maye had attended a camp at North Carolina. After an offer from UNC in October of 2018, Maye had unofficially visited the Tar Heels on three different occasions before giving a verbal to the Crimson Tide.
On top of that, Maye goes to high school in North Carolina. On top of that, his brother, Luke Maye, played basketball for the Tar Heels.
Maye is rated as the No. 6 pro-style quarterback in the country. He’s also the No. 3 player regardless of position in the state of North Carolina.
With Maye’s commitment, North Carolina now has seven 2021 commitments, six of which are four-star prospects. That class for Brown & Company is currently sixth in the nation.
Conversely, Alabama football now has just one 2021 commit. I’m guessing, though, that will change between now and the Early Signing Period in December. And change a lot.
Brown, incidentally, is 0-2 against Alabama football. As the Texas head coach, he lost to a Saban-led Alabama squad in the BCS championship game following the 2009 regular season. As the North Carolina head coach, he lost to Alabama in the 1993 Gator Bowl.