Drake Maye has taken New England by storm in his second year as quarterback for the Patriots. But before he was a budding NFL superstar, Maye was turning heads at the University of North Carolina.

Maye was a heavily sought after recruit out of high school, but ultimately chose to play at Chapel Hill for Mack Brown. 

The quarterback's father played for the Tar Heels in the 1980s, and two of his brothers played basketball at the school.

Mack Brown on Drake Maye

With the Patriots playing the Denver Broncos this weekend in the AFC Championship Game needing one win to advance to Super Bowl LX, WBZ-TV spoke to Brown about what he remembers from Maye's time at UNC.

"He's what you want in an athlete. He's got character. He's a guy that everyone can look up to. He's got tremendous faith, and the man competes. I just love watching him play," Brown said.

Brown said that as Maye became a star at UNC, he had opportunities to leave for higher profile schools. But Maye remained loyal to his roots.

"I loved Drake because I said he's to North Carolina what the Mannings were to Ole Miss with Eli and Archie. He couldn't leave that state because he meant so much to that university and that state," Brown said. "Even when we lost an offensive coordinator, and Drake got offered a lot of money to go other places and he wasn't going to leave because he's too loyal and has too much character, Drake sat down with me and I said 'Who do you want to hire? What are you looking for?' It's like talking to an adult. He said, 'I want someone to work with my feet, I want someone to work with my release, I want to get better.'"

"Drake Maye will win a Super Bowl"

Brown said he's enjoyed watching Maye thrive at the NFL level, and added that it's no surprise he's already so close to reaching a Super Bowl at just 23 years old.

"I'd just like to say Drake, I love you. I appreciate you. My life's better because you're in it. And I'm a huge fan," Brown said when asked what his message would be for Maye. "Every time I see you on Saturday or Sunday making plays, I've seen those same plays at North Carolina. And when the scouts would come through and ask me 'What do you think about Drake Maye?' I'd say 'Drake Maye will win a Super Bowl wherever he goes before he gets through playing.'"