Who Is Drake Maye’s Wife? Meet Childhood Sweetheart Ann Michael Maye

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Long before Drake Maye became the New England Patriots’ quarterback, Ann Michael Maye was already by his side.
They were 12 years old.
Drake and Ann Michael began dating as seventh graders in North Carolina in 2015, meaning their relationship predates just about every football milestone that eventually put Maye in the national spotlight.
She was there before he became North Carolina’s starting quarterback. Before New England selected him No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Before Sundays in Foxborough became part of their normal routine.
More than a decade later, the childhood sweethearts are married and building a life together in New England, while Ann Michael has also developed an audience of her own through the baking content that made her a favorite among Patriots fans.
With Maye back in the spotlight as another Patriots Sunday arrives, here’s everything to know about his wife, Ann Michael Maye, and the relationship that started long before the NFL entered the picture.
Drake Maye and Ann Michael Have Been Together Since They Were 12
Calling Ann Michael Maye a high school sweetheart doesn't quite tell the whole story.
She and Drake go back even further.
The two began dating in seventh grade in 2015, when they were both 12. They stayed together through their teenage years and eventually both attended the University of North Carolina, where Maye went from highly touted recruit to the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback.
Their families had a football connection of their own. Ann Michael's younger brother, Tad Hudson, was also a quarterback at North Carolina and overlapped with Maye during his time with the Tar Heels.
Ann Michael was alongside Drake when his football career took its biggest leap yet in April 2024, when the Patriots selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
That moment also sent the longtime couple in different directions for a while.
Maye headed to New England to begin his rookie season while Ann Michael remained in Chapel Hill to finish college. She graduated from UNC in May 2025 with a degree in business administration.
By then, another major milestone was already on the calendar.
When Did Drake Maye and Ann Michael Get Married?
Maye proposed during a trip to Mexico in January 2025, shortly after completing his rookie season with the Patriots.
“Love doing life with you,” he wrote while announcing their engagement. “Can’t wait to marry you!”
They didn't have to wait long.
Drake and Ann Michael married in North Carolina on June 21, 2025, almost exactly a decade after their relationship began.
“What a night,” Maye wrote afterward. “Cheers forever. I love you!”
The wedding marked the beginning of a particularly different chapter for the couple. After navigating Maye's rookie NFL season from different states, they could finally settle into life together in New England.
For two people who started dating before they were even teenagers, it was another major step in a relationship that has grown alongside Maye's football career.
Ann Michael Maye Has Built a Following of Her Own
Ann Michael has also found her own audience since Maye arrived in New England.
Baking has become a particularly recognizable part of her social media presence. Her “Bakemas” series, which featured a different holiday recipe each day, took off with Patriots fans and helped introduce people to a side of the Mayes that rarely makes it onto an NFL broadcast.
Her content offers glimpses of baking, home life and the everyday moments that exist around the considerably less ordinary experience of being married to an NFL quarterback.
And after spending Maye's rookie year apart while she finished school, the two are now navigating something they hadn't previously experienced together: owning a home.
In a September 2026 interview with People, Drake and Ann Michael spoke about learning to handle the inevitable surprises that come with homeownership and leaning on each other when something goes wrong.
The setting may be different now, but that part of their relationship isn't particularly new.
Ann Michael knew Maye before the recruiting rankings, the NFL Draft and the attention that comes with quarterbacking one of the league's most recognizable franchises.
They started out as two 12-year-olds in North Carolina.
More than a decade later, they're taking on New England together.

Maggie MacKenzie is a Boston-based writer and editor who has spent more than a decade covering sports and entertainment, with a deep focus on NASCAR. At NASCAR.com she covered the sport from race-weekends and analysis to larger stories covering the athletes, teams and series. Maggie has also held editorial roles across sports media, including as a copy editor and writer at Sports Business Journal, where she worked on coverage of the business side of professional sports, and at Heavy.com covering sports and entertainment. Maggie has been writing and editing professionally for more than ten years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Fairfield University and an MBA from Babson College.