North Carolina legacy Drake Maye has switched his commitment from Alabama to UNC, the four-star quarterback announced on Friday. That gives the Tar Heels another nationally-coveted in-state prospect in a 2021 class that is already tracking to become the program's best recruiting haul in at least a decade.

"First off, I'd like to thank Coach [Nick] Saban and the entire staff for the opportunity to play at the University of Alabama," Maye said. "But 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 [Mack] Brown at the University of North Carolina. He, along with Coach [Phil] Longo and Coach [Dre] Bly, have been tremendous throughout my recruiting process and I couldn't be more excited to become a Tar Heel."

Maye, a 6-foot-5, 210-pounder from Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park High, originally committed to the Crimson Tide last July.

In an interview with Inside Carolina on Monday, Maye talked about the strong communication between him and UNC: "We're staying in touch," Maye said. "Coach [Mack] Brown, Coach [Dre] Bly, and Coach [Phil] Longo, they've been great. It's home -- it's where I've grown up going. It's North Carolina, so there are a lot of family ties, as everyone knows. Being an in-state quarterback [at UNC], I know that would be a big deal."

"They're on the rise for sure," Maye said of the Tar Heel program. "When I committed to Alabama, I didn't really know how North Carolina was going to be [under Brown] -- I hadn't seen them play, yet. But, I think they proved a lot and they're waking some people up."

Also during the aforementioned interview, Maye expressed concerns with Alabama's quarterback situation.

Maye's father, Mark, played quarterback at UNC (1984-87) where he led the ACC in passing in 1986. Moreover, his brother, Luke, was an All-ACC forward on the Heels' basketball team (2015-19).

2021 quarterback Drake Maye

After just eight varsity passes, Tennessee and West Virginia dispensed scholarship offers to Maye in the spring following his freshman season. His offer pile eventually grew to include Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, UNC, NC State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

Prior to his sophomore season, Maye transferred cross-county from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough to Myers Park. He immediately became the starter for the Mustangs program, which has posted a 25-3 record the past two seasons. As a sophomore, Maye completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,201 yards and 36 touchdowns with five interceptions. He bettered all those numbers this past season as a junior, completing 72 percent of his tosses for 3,512 yards with a 50-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio. He also rushed for 201 yards and six more scores during his junior campaign.

"He's very skilled," Myers Park head coach Scott Chadwick said. "He makes every throw. And he's a great teammate, too; he's fit in really well with the guys. He's smart: he's picked up our offense no problem at all. I had a pretty good idea that his physical skills were what they were, but I've been most impressed with his mental capacity. I think he has a chance to be really, really special."

In addition to his four-star rating, the 247Sports Composite ranks Maye as the nation's No. 6 pro-style quarterback and No. 56 overall recruit. With the addition of Maye to UNC's 2021 recruiting class, the Tar Heels -- now with seven commitments, all from in-state and six of which have four-star status -- have moved up the 247Sports Composite national team rankings to No. 6.

"A smooth, accurate, downfield passer with a quick release and terrific touch, Maye also has the arm talent and takes care of the football," said 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, who considers Maye the No. 1 overall prospect in the state of North Carolina. "He comes from good bloodlines and he has a strong multi-sport profile as well."

Added 247 national analyst Charles Power: “I saw Drake in a regional 7-on-7 event last week. Maye's processing speed and accuracy were outstanding, and he made easy work of a secondary full of four-star prospects. This was the first time I've seen him in person since last spring, and he's continued to improve physically and with his arm strength. After going to a few other events including the Elite 11's Atlanta Regional this weekend, Maye is head and shoulders the best 2021 quarterback I've seen in 2020.”