1. Priorities
Maye was invited to attend the Draft in Philadelphia, but decided to stay home to walk across a different stage, graduation. The Melbourne, FL native returned for his senior year to earn a degree in African American studies.
“If I make a promise to anybody I want to follow it through — and this one was to my mom,” Maye said in an interview with SEC Country. “No one in my immediate family has graduated from college. The fact she wanted me to do that — not just play football, but also graduate — has been in the back of mind and knowing that the last year has always been a motivation for me.”
2. Highly Touted
A four-star high school prospect, Maye played safety and running back at Holy Trinity. He rushed for 712 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior and was ranked the No. 5 overall safety in the country. Maye chose to attend Florida over Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and LSU.
Marcus Maye Game Film
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3. Maye-Day
Maye can play the run and the pass. According to Pro Football Focus, he had the second highest run-stop percentage among SEC safeties in and the second lowest catch rate percentage allowed in 2016.
4. Two-Sport Athlete
Not only was he talented on the gridiron, but Maye was a good player on the hardwood as well. He was a two-star basketball prospect, fielding offers from Miami, Florida State, Texas A&M and UCF. In fact, Maye continued to play basketball his senior year in high school despite accepting a football scholarship to Florida.
5. Crowded Secondary
Maye was the first Gators DB selected in the 2017 Draft, followed by Quincy Wilson (No. 46) and Jalen “Teez” Tabor (No. 53).
