Tylee Craft is retiring from football, at least for now.

A class of 2020 wide receiver from Sumter, SC, Craft was diagnosed with stage four large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma on March 14, 2022. It is a rare form of lung cancer and forced him to step away from competitively playing football.

He has been through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and numerous forms of treatment ever since, all the while remaining on the football roster and being around the team as much as possible.

Craft even worked out with the Tar Heels at times, and last winter helped out the men’s basketball team some as well. He released a statement via Twitter/X on Friday afternoon:

“Hey Tar Heels, first, I want to thank everyone for all the love and support as I continue my battle with cancer. I’ve decided to medically retire for now and will serve as a student coach. But the goal remains the same. I’m going to keep swinging and beat this thing.

“Then, once I’m healthy, I’m going to get back into playing shape so I can return to the field. Again, thanks for all the love and support. It means so much.”

A member of the 2020 recruiting class, Craft was a 2-star prospect at Rivals. Now at 6-foot-5, Craft committed to UNC on April 19, 2019. It was just five months after Mack Brown took over for his second stint in Chapel Hill, but he, wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway and the rest of the staff were already building a culture they regularly push now in recruiting.

It was enough for Craft to become a Tar Heel.

“I decided to commit because of the family vibes and connections I made with Coach Galloway,” he told THI the day before he announced his intentions. “The coaches, players, and staff welcomed me in as one of their own. I decided to commit after the offer because I know it’ll be the best fit for me.”

While Craft may not have been as highly recruiting as most UNC players, the Carolina staff saw something in him disregarding any rankings.

“He’s got great top-end speed…,” Brown said about Craft on signing day in December 2019. “Really like his length outside.”

Brown has repeatedly described Craft as an inspiration to everyone in the program. It isn’t a hard pitch for the Hall of Fame coach to use Craft as a positive example.

"Tylee hasn't missed a practice, he hasn't missed a meeting," Brown said last fall, when asked for an update on Craft during his weekly press conference. "He gets his chemo and radiation treatment and he's so sick and he never gripes."

Before being diagnosed with Cancer, Craft did get on the field for the Tar Heels.

He appeared in seven games in 2020 as a true freshman, and four the following season. Craft played 20 snaps on offense and 16 special teams plays in that first campaign, and 16 and seven in year two. He did not catch any passes.