North Carolina's Super Bowl LX connections
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A Patriots win and UNC would become the sixth school to produce a U.S. president and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Photo: Kara Durrette/Getty Images
The Carolina Panthers may not be in the Super Bowl, but football fans here have plenty of North Carolina ties to the big game this weekend.
Why it matters: North Carolina will be bursting with pride if young New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who played football at Myers Park High in Charlotte and at UNC, wins his first Super Bowl.
State of play: The Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in the 2026 Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 6:30pm. NBC will broadcast the game.
- If you're heading to the game, our Axios San Francisco team has you covered.
What we're watching: Both quarterbacks have Charlotte ties, with Maye playing high school football here and Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold's brief stint with the Panthers.
Here are players with North Carolina connections (this includes being from the state or playing college football here).
- Robbie Ouzts is not from North Carolina, but the fullback attended Rock Hill High, just outside Charlotte.
Patriots
Garrett Bradbury
The center from Charlotte played high school football at Charlotte Christian and then N.C. State.
Cory Durden
The defensive lineman played at N.C. State.
Amari Gainer
The linebacker played at UNC. He's on the Patriots' practice squad.
Mack Hollins
The wide receiver played at UNC, where he has a degree in exercise and sport science.
John Jiles
The wide receiver is from Wake Forest and attended Wake Forest High. He's on the Patriots' practice squad.
Harold Landry
The linebacker is from Spring Lake, outside Fayetteville, and attended Pine Forest High.
Drake Maye
The quarterback is from Huntersville and played at Myers Park and UNC, where he set school records and was named ACC Player of the Year.
John Saunders Jr.
The safety, who is on the practice squad, is from High Point and attended High Point Christian Academy.
Jared Wilson
The offensive lineman is from Clemmons and went to West Forsyth High.
Seahawks
Jake Bobo
The wide receiver dazzled at Duke before transferring to UCLA.
Nick Emmanwori
The safety from Greensboro attended high school in South Carolina and played for the Gamecocks.
Jarran Reed
The defensive lineman is from Goldsboro. He attended Goldsboro High and played for Alabama.
Chazz Surratt
Hailing from Denver, Surratt played at East Lincoln High before UNC, where he started as a quarterback before transitioning to linebacker.
Drake Thomas
The linebacker is from Wake Forest. He played for Heritage High and N.C. State.
Dareke Young
The wide receiver is from Raleigh. He attended Middle Creek High and played for Lenoir-Rhyne.
