Maye claims multiple ACC Player of the Year Awards

Courtesy The Atlantic Coast Conference

North Carolina redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye, who leads the nation in total offense and keyed the Tar Heels to the Coastal Division title, has been voted the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Player of the Year.

Pitt junior defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was selected as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in voting by a 65-member voting panel consisting of 51 selected media and the conference’s 14 head coaches.

Maye, who hails from Huntersville, North Carolina, has thrown for 3,847 yards and 35 touchdowns to go along with 629 yards rushing and six more TDs. He is just the ninth FBS quarterback since 2010 to post 3,500 passing yards, 35 passing TDs, 500 rushing yards, and five rushing TDs in a season.

Also voted the ACC Offensive Player of the Year for the 2022 season, Maye became the only conference player in the last 25 years to register at least 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in four consecutive games. He was voted the ACC Quarterback of the Week six times during the regular season and was a five-time ACC Rookie of the Week.

Maye was named a semifinalist for Walter Camp National Player of the Year, as well as the Davey O’Brien, Maxwell and Alexander Awards. He was also named to the Watch List for the Manning Award, which recognizes college football’s top quarterback.

Pitt’s Kancey is the only student-athlete in the country who has been named a finalist for both the 2022 Outland Trophy (presented to the nation’s top interior lineman) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (presented to the nation’s top defensive player).

The 6-foot, 280-pound Miami native has been one of college football’s most dominant players regardless of position this season, compiling 31 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 11 games played.

Pro Football Focus named Kancey a first-team All-American earlier this week. Kancey spearheads a Pitt defense that leads the country in sacks (3.75 avg.), ranks seventh nationally against the run (95.5 avg.) and ranks 19th in fewest total yards allowed (319.7 avg.).

The complete breakdown of the 2022 ACC Football Player of the Year voting:

Player of the Year
Drake Maye, North Carolina, 46
Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh, 9
Zay Flowers, Boston College, 4
Jordan Travis, Florida State, 3
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest, 2
Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh, 1

Offensive Player of the Year
Drake Maye, North Carolina, 47
Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh, 9
Zay Flowers, Boston College, 4
Jordan Travis, Florida State, 3
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest, 2

Defensive Player of the Year
Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh, 19
Yasir Abdullah, Louisville, 17
Drake Thomas, NC State, 9
Jared Verse, Florida State, 7
Charlie Thomas, Georgia Tech, 4
Cedric Gray, North Carolina, 4
Kam Kinchens, Miami, 3
Tyler Davis, Clemson, 1
Myles Murphy, Clemson, 1

Maye adds Rookie of the Year to honors list

Maye has also been voted the ACC Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2022 football season, while Florida State defensive end Patrick Payton earned the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year honor.

Payton made a definite impact as he helped the Seminoles to a 9-3 finish and a spot in a bowl game for the first time since 2019.

Earning a place in the regular rotation at defensive end, this Miami native has registered 29 total tackles, including four quarterback sacks and five total tackles for loss. Three pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble added to his banner college debut year.

Payton is part of a Seminole defensive unit that ranks first in the ACC in total defense and passing defense (fourth nationally) and second in scoring defense, limiting opponents to averages of 307 total yards, 158.9 passing yards and 19.7 points per game.

The complete breakdown of the 2022 ACC Football Rookie of the Year voting:

Rookie of the Year
Drake Maye, North Carolina, 61
Antonio Williams, Clemson, 2
Patrick Payton, Florida State, 1
Clayton Powell-Lee, Georgia Tech, 1

Offensive Rookie of the Year
Drake Maye, North Carolina, 62
Antonio Williams, Clemson, 3

Defensive Rookie of the Year
Patrick Payton, Florida State, 34
Mansoor Delane, Virginia Tech, 26
Clayton Powell-Lee, Georgia Tech, 5