Mack Brown opens up on Tylee Craft's impact on him, UNC program

On Oct. 12, North Carolina wide receiver Tylee Craft died after an extensive battle with cancer. On Monday, Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown reflected on his relationship with Craft and revealed how the young man impacted his life.

“It’s absolutely changed the way I think about some things and my life’s better because of Tylee Craft, 100%,” Brown said. “I wish we had him longer, but he taught me more things than people I’ve been around for 73 years have taught me.

“He taught me, “Why pout after losses?’ You’re not supposed to. We’re talking about life and death here. After a loss, you’re supposed to learn from your loss, correct it and get better. I’ve been a guy who didn’t handle losses. Well, heck, I’m part of the loss, so fix my problems and get better with it. He taught you to have fun. We don’t know how many days we’ve got.”

Craft joined North Carolina in 2020, making 11 appearances in his first two seasons with the team. However, Craft was forced to step away from the field when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer on March 14, 2022.

North Carolina first learned of the cancer when its staff took Craft to the hospital after he reported severe back pain. Tylee Craft reportedly was only expected to live for several more weeks after the diagnosis. Instead, he fought valiantly for two and a half years.

North Carolina’s players were unaware of Craft’s death when they faced off against Georgia Tech on Oct. 12. Brown informed the team after the game. Since then, the Tar Heels are 2-0, most recently defeating Florida State 35-11.

Mack Brown also explained how the team has handled the grieving process while continuing their season.

“We’d never had a player that continually got worse on our team,” Brown said. “We’d only lost one player at Texas and it was a truck accident one night, and we got a call. So it’s very different. It’s still a loss, but it’s very different than watching a young man get worse every day. And then, you’ve got to make sure that you handle the family right.

“How much can the players see him? How much do they need to see him? He’s exhausted and he’s tired. Does he need them over there all the time? So it’s all-encompassing when you handle something like that, and then the grief is different too.”