October 12, 2024, started like any other Saturday in Chapel Hill. The air was crisp, the sky was that perfect shade of Carolina blue, and the Tar Heels were gearing up to face Georgia Tech for their annual Cancer Awareness game. But by the time the fourth quarter clock hit zero, the game felt entirely irrelevant.
While thousands of fans were cheering in the stands, Tylee Craft, a 23-year-old former wide receiver and a soul-deep part of the program, was taking his final breaths at a nearby hospital.
It’s one of those stories that makes you want to look away but forces you to lean in. Tylee wasn't just a name on a roster. He was a four-star recruit from Sumter, South Carolina, who arrived at UNC in 2020 with the kind of speed and 6-foot-5 frame that NFL scouts drool over. He played 11 games. He caught passes. He ran routes. Then, everything stopped.
The Diagnosis That Changed Everything
It happened in March 2022. Most guys his age are worried about midterms or spring break plans. Tylee was worried about back spasms. He thought it was just the grind of spring practice—football is a brutal sport, after all. You get hit, you get sore.
But the "soreness" didn't go away.
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Scans revealed something unthinkable: Stage 4 large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. It’s a rare, aggressive form of lung cancer. Honestly, the statistics for this kind of diagnosis are terrifying. Doctors told him he likely only had weeks or maybe months to live.
He lived for two and a half years.
Why Tylee Craft Became the Heart of the Tar Heels
You might wonder why this specific UNC wide receiver death hit the college football world so hard. After all, players come and go. But Tylee didn't go. Even when he had to medically retire from the field in July 2024, he stayed in the building. He became a student coach.
Mack Brown, UNC’s head coach, has seen everything in his decades of coaching. He’s won national titles. He’s seen players go to the Pro Bowl. But even Mack couldn't talk about Tylee without his voice cracking.
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During that final Georgia Tech game, Mack Brown shared an emotional hug with Tylee’s mother, September, at the end of the first quarter. At that moment, Mack didn't even know Tylee had already passed away. He just knew the kid was in hospice. He just knew the clock was ticking.
A Legacy of "Tylee Strong"
The team didn't find out until they walked into the locker room after the loss. Can you imagine that? You’ve just played your heart out on the field, and then you find out your brother—the guy who was just at practice on Thursday—is gone.
Tylee wasn't just "hanging around" the team. He was working.
- Academic Excellence: He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in May 2024.
- Graduate Studies: He was already enrolled in graduate school when he died.
- The Disney Spirit Award: In 2022, he was named the most inspirational figure in college football.
- Nutrition Impact: He even influenced the team's diet. He loved sugar-filled cereal and fought the nutritionists to make sure it was available for the guys. Now, it's a staple in the facility.
The Rare Reality of His Condition
Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the lung is not what people usually think of when they hear "lung cancer." It’s a high-grade tumor. It grows fast. It spreads faster. For a 20-year-old athlete to get this is statistically an anomaly.
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Tylee spent his time at the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center. He wasn't just a patient; he was an ambassador. He worked with the White Ribbon Project and visited kids at the UNC Children’s Hospital. Basically, he took the worst hand imaginable and used it to play for everyone else.
What Happens Now for UNC Football?
The 2024 season became a tribute. Players wore his #13 on their helmets. Wide receivers rotated wearing his actual jersey. They named the nutrition center after him.
But it’s more than just stickers and names on walls. The UNC wide receiver death served as a jarring reminder of how fragile this whole thing is. These "kids" we watch on Saturdays are often carrying burdens much heavier than a football.
If you want to honor Tylee Craft, the next steps are pretty simple but profound:
- Support Lung Cancer Research: Organizations like the V Foundation or the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center are doing the work to find treatments for rare forms like LCNEC.
- The White Ribbon Project: Join the movement to end the stigma around lung cancer, which can affect anyone—even a 6-foot-5 elite athlete who never smoked a day in his life.
- Check in on Your People: Tylee’s teammates are still processing this. Grief doesn't have an off-season.
Tylee’s mother said it best: "Life is not what happens to you, but how you respond to it." Tylee responded by smiling through the radiation and showing up to practice when he could barely stand. That’s why he’s 1-of-1.