Drake Maye's College GPA Resurfaces Ahead Of AFC Championship Game

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jan 24, 2026 4:08 PM ET

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has turned out to be a superstar on and off the field.

Maye had an MVP-caliber regular season with the Patriots, completing 72% of his passes for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns. Although he's struggled with turnovers over the past two games, he has a chance to do something Tom Brady never did during his time in New England: win a playoff game in Denver.

On Sunday afternoon, the Patriots will take on the Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. The winner of that game will represent the AFC in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium.

To be fair, Patriots fans envisioned Maye making it to the Super Bowl the moment he was drafted in 2024. After all, he was named ACC Player of the Year during his time at North Carolina.

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws in the third quarter against the Houston Texans in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images© David Butler II-Imagn Images.

Not only was Maye exceptional on the gridiron, he also got the job done in the classroom. The former UNC quarterback was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Football Team in 2023. That means his GPA in Chapel Hill was at least a 3.0 at that time.

"Academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career," UNC said. "In addition, student-athletes must have competed in at least 50 percent of their team's contests on the season."

According to EssentiallySports, Maye had a 3.2 GPA in business administration.

Drake Maye is fearless.

While the nerves of playing in a conference championship might get to some quarterbacks, Maye has already said that he's going to let it rip in Denver.

"Trying to get the ball out of my hand and just being cognizant of the edge rushers and taking care of the football is the No. 1 thing," Maye told reporters, via NFL.com. "If we have time and have a look downfield, you know me, I'm gonna take a shot."

We'll see if Maye leads the Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance since the 2018 season.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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