On Sunday February 9, 2026, two quarterbacks will meet at Levi’s Stadium. Drake Maye is 23 years old, in his second NFL season, playing for the only franchise he’s ever known. Sam Darnold is 28, in his eighth NFL season, wearing his fifth jersey.
Their professional timelines look nothing alike. But rewind far enough, and the parallels emerge: two multi-sport kids from athletic families who stayed close to home for college, lost critical development time to circumstances beyond their control, and landed in the same draft slot six years apart.
When Darnold takes the field Sunday, he will become the first Orange County native to start a Super Bowl at quarterback. (Source: JPWest Media)
Drake Maye’s Athletic Family and Multi-Sport Background in Charlotte
via: New England Patriots Nation
Drake Maye was born on August 30, 2002, in Huntersville, North Carolina, and grew up in Charlotte. He was the youngest of four brothers and the last to make his mark.
His father, Mark Maye, quarterbacked North Carolina from 1984-1987. His mother, Aimee Sockwell, was named Mecklenburg County Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Then there were his brothers: Luke hit the buzzer-beater that sent UNC to the 2017 Final Four and won a national championship. Cole won the 2017 College World Series pitching for Florida. Two brothers, two national titles, same calendar year. Beau walked on to UNC’s basketball team. (Source: Patriots.com)
Drake grew up playing all of it.
“I played all three,” Maye said in a January 2026 press conference, referring to football, basketball, and baseball. He credits each sport with developing specific skills baseball for arm angles, basketball for the spatial decision-making that helps him read defenses. (Source: Patriots.com press conference transcript, January 21, 2026)
He started tackle football at age six. His father enrolled him at Scott Chadwick’s quarterback academy at 14. The family moved so Drake could transfer from Hough High School, where he spent his freshman year backing up an older quarterback, to Myers Park High School in Charlotte. (Source: Patriots.com)
Sam Darnold’s Multi-Sport Youth in Orange County, California
via: Pop Warner
Sam Darnold was born on June 5, 1997, in Dana Point, California. Unlike Maye, he did not come from a football family. His father, Mike, played offensive line at the University of Redlands and worked as a hospital plumber. His mother, Chris, taught physical education.
The athletic bloodline showed up differently. Darnold’s maternal grandfather, Dick Hammer, started at basketball for USC and reached the 1954 Final Four, then competed on the 1964 U.S. Olympic volleyball team. His sister Franki became an Atlantic 10 First-Team volleyball player at Rhode Island. (Source: Bleacher Report, Yahoo Sports)
Darnold’s parents took a different approach than the Mayes. They declined to pay for private coaching or travel teams.
“I never cared whether my children played sports or an instrument or worked a job as long as they were involved and happy and tried different things,” his father told Bleacher Report.
So Sam played everything. Soccer. Baseball. Football. Basketball.
“He was always an ultra-competitor,” his San Clemente High School coach, Jaime Ortiz, told LAist.
High School Football: Record-Setting Seasons on Both Coasts
Drake Maye at Myers Park High School
At Myers Park, Maye played both football and basketball. (Source: Patriots.com)
As a sophomore quarterback, he threw for 3,201 yards and 36 touchdowns, earning all-conference honors and the Rising Star Award. (Source: Patriots.com)
His junior season set records. He completed 72 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards and 50 touchdowns a North Carolina state record. Myers Park went 12-1, won the league title, was nationally ranked, and averaged 50 points per game. (Source: Patriots.com)
COVID-19 canceled his senior season. He never played another high school football game.
By graduation, Maye was a four-star recruit with offers from Alabama, Ohio State, and North Carolina. He had initially committed to Alabama in July 2019; in March 2020, he flipped to UNC, following his father’s footsteps to Chapel Hill. (Source: Patriots.com)
Sam Darnold at San Clemente High School
Darnold played quarterback, wide receiver, and linebacker at San Clemente. Then, in Game 3 of his junior year, he broke his foot.
He missed eight games. San Clemente went 0-8 without him. With fewer than 800 varsity passing yards heading into his senior season, Darnold had almost no recruiting tape. His high school coach started sending basketball highlights to college recruiters just to show them what kind of athlete Darnold was. (Source: Bleacher Report)
His senior season answered the question: 2,985 passing yards, 39 touchdowns, 800 rushing yards, 13 rushing scores. He was named Orange County Boys Athlete of the Year and CIF-SS Southwest Division Offensive MVP. (Source: JPWest Media)
High School Basketball: Two Quarterbacks Who Could Have Played Division I Hoops
Both quarterbacks were more than football players who happened to play basketball. Both drew legitimate recruiting interest on the court.
Drake Maye averaged 16.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as a junior at Myers Park, earning All-Conference honors. Clemson’s basketball program expressed recruiting interest. (Source: NBC Sports Boston)
Sam Darnold won two Sea View League Basketball MVP awards at San Clemente. His basketball coach, Marc Popovich, said Darnold could have played Pac-12 basketball: “He’s the only guy I’ve ever had who could get a defensive rebound and launch a 70-foot pass on target, pretty much in the same motion.” (Source: Bleacher Report)
Both chose football.
College Careers: Staying Close to Home, Setting Records
Drake Maye at North Carolina (2021-2023)
Maye redshirted behind Sam Howell in 2021. When he took over in 2022, he threw for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns both school records while adding 698 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. He led the NCAA in total offense with 5,019 yards. (Source: Patriots.com)
He became only the second player in ACC history to sweep all four major conference awards (Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year), joining Jameis Winston. (Source: Wikipedia)
In 2023, he threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Career totals: 7,929 passing yards, 62 passing touchdowns, 1,276 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns.
Sam Darnold at USC (2015-2017)
A June camp performance before USC coaches Steve Sarkisian and Clay Helton led to an offer. Darnold committed and stayed in Southern California. (Source: Bleacher Report)
He redshirted in 2015, then took over as starter in Game 4 of 2016 when USC was 1-2. The Trojans won nine consecutive games.
In the Rose Bowl against Penn State, Darnold threw for 453 yards and 5 touchdowns, going 10-of-10 in the fourth quarter during a 52-49 victory. He became the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Award. (Source: USC Athletics)
In 2017, he led USC to the Pac-12 Championship and finished sixth in Heisman voting.
Career totals: 7,229 passing yards, 57 passing touchdowns, 22 interceptions. (Source: JPWest Media)
NFL Draft: Third Overall, Six Years Apart
Both quarterbacks were selected with the third pick in their respective drafts.
2018: Sam Darnold to the New York Jets the highest USC quarterback selected since Carson Palmer went first overall in 2003. (Source: USC Athletics)
2024: Drake Maye to the New England Patriots the first Patriot selected in the top five since Drew Bledsoe in 1993. (Source: Wikipedia)
Sam Darnold’s NFL Journey: Five Teams in Eight Seasons
Darnold went 13-25 as a starter with the Jets from 2018-2020. (Source: Wikipedia)
The Jets traded him to Carolina in 2021. He went 8-9 as a starter before losing his job to Baker Mayfield. In 2023, he signed a $4.5 million contract to back up Brock Purdy in San Francisco and did not start a game. (Source: Wikipedia)
Minnesota signed Darnold in 2024 expecting him to back up rookie J.J. McCarthy. When McCarthy tore his ACL, Darnold became the starter. He threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. (Source: Wikipedia)
Seattle signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract in 2025. He went 14-3 in the regular season, led the Seahawks to the NFC’s top seed, and earned a second Pro Bowl. (Source: Wikipedia)
Drake Maye’s NFL Development: Two Seasons in New England
Maye went 4-13 as a rookie in 2024.
In Year 2, under head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots improved to 14-3. Maye set franchise records for completion percentage (72.0%), yards per attempt (8.9), and games with a 100+ passer rating (13). He finished the regular season with 4,394 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. (Source: NBC Sports Boston)
Youth Sports Parallels: What Both Quarterbacks Share
Both quarterbacks followed similar developmental paths before their NFL careers diverged:
Multi-sport participation: Both were legitimate Division I basketball prospects. Both credit other sports with developing skills that transferred to football Maye specifically citing baseball for arm angles and basketball for spatial awareness.
Athletic families: Maye grew up with three Division I athlete brothers, two of whom won national championships. Darnold’s grandfather competed in the Olympics; his sister played Division I volleyball.
In-state college choices: Both stayed close to home when bigger programs recruited them Maye turning down Alabama for his father’s alma mater, Darnold staying in Southern California.
Lost development time: Maye’s senior football season was canceled by COVID-19. Darnold missed eight games of his junior season with a broken foot.
Same draft position: Both were selected third overall.
The key difference: Maye trained at a quarterback-specific academy starting at age 14. Darnold’s parents deliberately avoided early specialization.
On Sunday, both paths lead to the same field.
Sources
Drake Maye:
- Patriots.com: “Drake Maye’s Football Origin Story From Local Phenom to Foxborough”
- Patriots.com: “Transcript: Quarterback Drake Maye Press Conference 1/21”
- NBC Sports Boston: “Drake Maye’s high school basketball coach recalls Patriots QB’s ‘flow state'”
- Wikipedia: Drake Maye
- Pro-Football-Reference: Drake Maye Stats
- 247Sports: Drake Maye Recruiting Profile
Sam Darnold:
- LAist: “Sam Darnold’s San Clemente High School coach: ‘He was always an ultra-competitor'”
- JPWest Media: “Sam Darnold to Be First Orange County Native to Start in a Super Bowl”
- USC Athletics: “Sam Darnold Wins 2016 Archie Griffin Award”
- Bleacher Report: “Sam Darnold Is the Realest”
- Wikipedia: Sam Darnold
- Pro-Football-Reference: Sam Darnold Stats
- Yahoo Sports: Sam Darnold Family Tree
image: Sources: Facebook – New England Patriots Nation, Pop Warner Football
YSBR provides this content on an “as is” basis without any warranties, express or implied. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability, or use of the information, including any images, videos, or licenses associated with this article. For any concerns, including copyright issues or complaints, please contact YSBR directly.
Sources:
- Pro-Football-Reference: Drake Maye Stats (pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MayeDr00.htm)
- Pro-Football-Reference: Sam Darnold Stats (pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DarnSa00.htm)
- Wikipedia: Drake Maye (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Maye)
- Wikipedia: Sam Darnold (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Darnold)
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Drake Maye (britannica.com/biography/Drake-Maye)
- 247Sports: Drake Maye Recruiting Profile (247sports.com/player/drake-maye-46054754)
- New England Patriots: “Drake Maye’s Football Origin Story From Local Phenom to Foxborough” (patriots.com)
- New England Patriots: “Super Bowl LX Game Preview: Patriots vs. Seahawks” (patriots.com)
- Bleacher Report: “Sam Darnold Is the Realest” (bleacherreport.com/articles/2725101-sam-darnold-usc-quarterback-childhood)
- USC Athletics: “Sam Darnold Picked No. 3 In 2018 NFL Draft By New York Jets” (usctrojans.com)
- New York Jets: “7 Things to Know About Sam Darnold” (newyorkjets.com)
- Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold Player Bio (seahawks.com)
- Yahoo Sports: “All About Drake Maye’s 3 Brothers” (sports.yahoo.com)
- Yahoo Sports: “Sam Darnold Family Tree” (sports.yahoo.com)
- NBC Sports Boston: “Drake Maye’s high school basketball coach recalls Patriots QB’s ‘flow state'” (nbcsportsboston.com)
- High School Football America: “San Clemente, California never far away for Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold” (highschoolfootballamerica.com)
- University of North Carolina Athletics: Drake Maye Player Profile (goheels.com)
- Niner Times: “How Charlotte native Drake Maye went from Myers Park to Super Bowl LX” (ninertimes.com)
About Youth Sports Business Report
Youth Sports Business Report is the largest and most trusted source for youth sports industry news, insights, and analysis covering the $54 billion youth sports market. Trusted by over 50,000 followers including industry executives, investors, youth sports parents and sports business professionals, we are the premier destination for comprehensive youth sports business intelligence.
Our core mission: Make Youth Sports Better. As the leading authority in youth sports business reporting, we deliver unparalleled coverage of sports business trends, youth athletics, and emerging opportunities across the youth sports ecosystem.
Our expert editorial team provides authoritative, in-depth reporting on key youth sports industry verticals including:
- Sports sponsorship and institutional capital (Private Equity, Venture Capital)
- Youth Sports events and tournament management
- NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) developments and compliance
- Youth sports coaching and sports recruitment strategies
- Sports technology and data analytics innovation
- Youth sports facilities development and management
- Sports content creation and digital media monetization
Whether you’re a sports industry executive, institutional investor, youth sports parent, coach, or sports business enthusiast, Youth Sports Business Report is your most reliable source for the actionable sports business insights you need to stay ahead of youth athletics trends and make informed decisions in the rapidly evolving youth sports landscape.
Join our growing community of 50,000+ industry leaders who depend on our trusted youth sports business analysis to drive success in the youth sports industry.
Stay connected with the pulse of the youth sports business – where industry expertise meets actionable intelligence.
Sign up for the biggest newsletter in Youth Sports – Youth Sports HQ – The best youth sports newsletter in the industry
Follow Youth Sports Business Report Founder Cameron Korab on LinkedIn
Are you a brand looking to tap into the world’s most passionate fanbase… youth sports?
Introducing Play Up Partners, a leading youth sports marketing agency connecting brands with the power of youth sports. We specialize in youth sports sponsorships, partnerships, and activations that drive measurable results.
About Play Up Partners
Play Up Partners is a leading youth sports marketing agency connecting brands with the power of youth sports. We specialize in youth sports sponsorships, partnerships, and activations that drive measurable results.
Why Sponsor Youth Sports?
Youth sports represents one of the most engaged and passionate audiences in sports marketing. With over 70 million young athletes and their families participating annually, the youth sports industry offers brands unparalleled access to motivated communities with strong purchasing power and loyalty.
What Does Play Up Partners Do?
We’ve done the heavy lifting to untangle the complex youth sports landscape so our brand partners can engage with clarity, confidence, and impact. Our vetted network of accredited youth sports organizations (from local leagues to national tournaments and operators) allows us to create flexible, scalable programs that evolve with the market.
Our Approach
Every partnership we build is rooted in authenticity and value creation. We don’t just broker deals. We craft youth sports marketing strategies that:
- Deliver measurable ROI for brand partners
- Create meaningful experiences for athletes and families
- Elevate the youth sports ecosystem
Our Vision
We’re positioning youth sports as the most desirable and effective platform in sports marketing. Our mission is simple: MAKE YOUTH SPORTS BETTER for athletes, families, organizations, and brand partners.
Common Questions About Youth Sports Marketing
Where can I sponsor youth sports? How do I activate in youth sports? What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? How much does youth sports sponsorship cost?
We have answers. Reach out to info@playuppartners.com to learn how Play Up Partners can help your brand navigate the youth sports landscape.
Youth sports organizations: Interested in partnership opportunities? Reach out to learn about our accreditation process.
