But Craft’s performance on the field only scratches the surface of his impact at Carolina and beyond. In March 2022, Craft was diagnosed with an intense and rare type of stage 4 lung cancer.

They gathered to remember and honor Tylee Craft, a former North Carolina wide receiver who died on Oct. 12 after a two-and-a-half-year battle with stage four lung cancer.

UNC wide receiver Tylee Craft, left, and N.C. State defensive tackle DJ Jackson pose for a photo after the Wolfpack beat the Tar Heels, 39-20, on Nov. 25, 2023, at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

UNC wide receiver Tylee Craft, left, and N.C. State defensive tackle DJ Jackson pose for a photo after the Wolfpack beat the Tar Heels, 39-20, on Nov. 25, 2023, at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

North Carolina wide receiver Tylee Craft (13) focuses on a reception during the opening day of the Tar Heels’ spring football practice on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Craft was two years older than Jackson, so they didn’t interact a lot in high school and only played together in 2019, when Craft was a senior and Jackson a sophomore. Blankenship noted, however, ...