Why Ann Michael Cried Before Her First Date With Drake Maye At 12
Ann Michael Maye recalled crying before her first date with Drake Maye at 12. Here’s how their awkward middle school story began and grew into marriage.
Ann Michael Maye had known Drake Maye before football made his name known across the NFL. The two were only 12 when their relationship began in North Carolina, long before Drake became the New England Patriots' quarterback. But their first date did not begin with the easy confidence of a young couple. Ann Michael later recalled that she was so nervous about meeting Drake that she cried and told her mother she did not want to go. She went anyway, and the date turned out much better than she expected.
What happened before Drake Maye and Ann Michael's first date
Drake and Ann Michael's first date happened when they were seventh graders, but Ann Michael admitted that she was not excited about it at first. Speaking to PEOPLE, she said, “I cried before our first date. I told my mom I didn't want to go, and I went, and it was great.”
Her reaction made more sense when she looked back at how young they were. The couple had started dating at 12, when neither seemed ready for the idea of a serious relationship.
“When we were dating in middle school, it was your typical middle school relationship,” Ann Michael said. They attended school together, with their classes across from each other. Yet they often walked past without saying a word.
The awkwardness did not mean they stopped talking. After avoiding each other at school, they would text or use Snapchat and apologize for not saying hi. Ann Michael described them as “the funniest little 12-year-olds” who were probably too young to be dating.
Drake Maye and Ann Michael grew up together
What started as an awkward middle school relationship continued through some of the biggest stages of Drake's life. The pair stayed together through high school and college, giving Ann Michael a front-row seat to his growth as a football player. Drake recalled how she had watched him go from playing junior varsity football to reaching the NFL.
After New England selected him No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the couple faced a short period apart while Drake began his rookie season and Ann Michael finished college at North Carolina. They reunited in a new chapter when they married on June 21, 2025, in North Carolina. Drake had proposed during a trip to Mexico earlier that year.
For Drake, the value of their relationship came from having someone beside him through each stage. "I don't take for granted how special she is to my career and my life," he told PEOPLE.