Even though it happened nearly two weeks ago, the passing of Tylee Craft to a long battle with lung cancer, still weighs heavy on the hearts within the UNC football program.
Tar Heel players knew about it shortly after the game, when head coach Mack Brown told them in the locker room. Brown then announced Craft’s passing in his postgame press conference, changing the mood very quickly and making people realize that Saturday, October 12 was no longer about football.
North Carolina still has to play a game this coming Saturday, traveling to Virginia for a 12 p.m. kickoff, but what the Cavaliers are doing to honor Craft might get you a little emotional.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, UNC wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway announced that Virginia players will wear Tylee Craft stickers on their helmets.
This doesn’t make what happened any easier, but it’s a tremendous display of class from one of the Tar Heels’ longtime ACC rivals.
#UNC WR coach Lonnie Galloway says Virginia’s players will wear Tylee Craft stickers on their helmets for this weekend’s game against the Tar Heels.
— Michael Koh (@michaelkohwchl) October 22, 2024
For those who aren’t familiar with Craft’s recruiting background, he was initially a 4-star commit – and the seventh-ranked player in South Carolina – in the Tar Heels’ 2020 recruiting class. Craft appeared in 11 games between the 2020 and 2021 season, mainly at wide receiver and special teams, but didn’t record a stat.
Craft was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer ahead of the 2022 college football season. He then missed all of 2022 and 2023, but was a courageous warrior who wanted nothing more than to be on the football field, even if he couldn’t suit up and play.
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