North Carolina football players were playing with heavy hearts on Saturday afternoon. With former wide receiver Tylee Craft hospitalized battling stage four cancer, the program held its Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday.
But shortly after the game, the program and head coach Mack Brown announced that Craft had passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 23-years-old.
The former four-star receiver enrolled at UNC in 2020 and appeared in 11 games for the program. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in March of 2022. The cancer reached stage four and spread through his body.
Still, he was with the team as much as he could be and was even honored by the program. Craft’s battle with cancer galvanized and inspired his teammates as he was around the program a lot despite his condition.
On Saturday, his teammate J.J. Jones wore Craft’s number and scored a touchdown in the Tar Heels’ loss. He pointed to his jersey to honor Craft after the score.
Craft’s family was also recognized after the first quarter on the field, hugging what was an emotional Mack Brown.
Tylee Craft’s family being honored on the field. Craft is currently in the hospital battling Stage 4 lung cancer. An emotional scene here at Kenan🥹 pic.twitter.com/30kHzC4pPd
— Tar Heels Wire (@tarheelswire) October 12, 2024
Members of the North Carolina basketball program wore Craft shirts ahead of the Blue-White scrimmage scheduled for Saturday afternoon in the Dean Dome.
His legacy will live on at North Carolina and today is somber reminder that there are things in life bigger than football. We will keep Craft’s family, friends and teammates in our prayers.
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