Jaydon Young announces he will enter transfer portal, open to returning to UNC
North Carolina junior guard Jaydon Young plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens Tuesday, he confirmed on Instagram, though he remains open to returning as UNC searches for a new head coach.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard from Goldsboro, N.C., spent one season with the Tar Heels, averaging 1.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 7.2 minutes per game. He made 31 appearances and four starts.
Young’s best performance came Jan. 10 against Wake Forest, when he scored 12 points in 19 minutes.
Although he always dreamed of being a Tar Heel, Young began his college career at Virginia Tech. He played two seasons in Blacksburg, averaging 8.1 points in 22.4 minutes per game during his sophomore year and starting 10 of 32 games. He originally committed to High Point out of the transfer portal last spring before flipping to UNC.
A Greensboro Day School product, Young was a three-star high school prospect ranked No. 217 nationally in the 2023 class, per Rivals.
After UNC’s season came to an end in the NCAA Tournament’s first round, Young was asked by the N&O about his plans for the upcoming year.
“Working on my game, honestly,” Young said. “Just getting better. Making sure I’m in the gym and being ready.”
Young added that he and the team grew and learned “a lot” over the course the season, even if it didn’t end as the Tar Heels had hoped.
Young is the second Tar Heel to announce their intention to enter the portal, following Isaiah Denis.
“UNC is a special place,” Denis wrote in his announcement on Sunday evening. “That is why even though I intend to enter the transfer portal due to the coaching uncertainty, I’m keeping the option open to return to UNC.”
