UNC Guard Jaydon Young Returning for Senior Season

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After second thought, Jaydon Young will withdraw from the transfer portal and return to Chapel Hill for his senior season. The 6-foot-4 guard announced his decision with On3’s Joe Tipson on Friday evening.

Meetings between new head coach Michael Malone and North Carolina players — seven of whom entered the portal — were held this week, giving Malone the opportunity to share his vision and evaluate the best path forward for each player.

“We have some players on the roster that’s currently in the portal,” Malone said Tuesday. “We’re going to talk to them more about that in the coming days, and then we’ll look to see what’s available outside.”

“Culture is something that you have to work on every single day. I think as we put pieces together, we’re going to have a chance to have success, because we’re going to be about the right things and work on those things every single day.”

Young, a Goldsboro, N.C. native, appeared in 31 games, making four starts between late January and early February. He logged a season-high 20 minutes in UNC’s win over Wake Forest on Jan. 10, scoring a season-best 12 points. His total season averages were 1.8 points in 8.5 minutes per game.

Young, the final addition to Davis’ transfer portal class, joined his childhood fandom team after spending two seasons at Virginia Tech. Initially committed to High Point out of the portal, Young flipped his commitment to UNC in April.

A product of Greensboro (N.C.) Day School, Young was a three-star prospect ranked No. 217 nationally before committing to Virginia Tech out of high school. He averaged 8.1 points as a sophomore in Blacksburg.