Jaydon Young Lives His Childhood Dream in Carolina Blue

“It really didn’t all pan out until after I committed to High Point,” Young said. “The coach ended up leaving, and a few people started calling, so that’s where this ended up coming from.”

When he first entered the transfer portal, UNC was not on Young’s radar. Offers came in quickly, and he wanted to decide without letting the process drag on. But when the High Point opportunity fell through, Chapel Hill called at just the right time.

“I was ready to be somewhere and start working on my game,” he said. “I just wanted to go where I felt like I could make the best opportunity for myself.”

That focus has defined his career so far. At Virginia Tech, Young spent his early college seasons learning behind veteran guards Sean Padula and Hunter Couture. The experience, he said, shaped his mindset and work ethic.

“Sean and Hunter definitely taught me a lot,” Young said. “You have to have a strict schedule, you really have to do things the right way, and you have to treat this like you’re a pro.”

The Lessons in Leadership

Those lessons are already influencing his leadership in Chapel Hill. Young said he has been intentional about guiding younger teammates such as Caleb Wilson and Isaiah Denis through early practices and conditioning.

“When you get tired, you’ve got to push through,” he said. “You can’t really show it. Just little things like that I can give them in practice.”

Relationship with Coach Davis

For Young, the relationship with head coach Hubert Davis has also stood out. Having admired the Tar Heels from afar, he didn’t know much about Davis personally until joining the team.

“He’s definitely a people’s person,” Young said. “He likes having a relationship with his guys, and he’s a man of his word. I love Coach Davis. He likes to sit down, have conversations with us, and be around us.”

Young’s first time facing Carolina came while he was still at Virginia Tech, and he remembers the emotions vividly.

“My first year we came here, and that was probably the most focused I’ve ever been in my life,” he said. “Being in an away locker room doesn’t really feel the same as being in a home locker room.”

Now that he’s in that home locker room, Young carries the confidence of a player who’s been through the process. He finished last season strong, scoring 27 points against Miami and proving to himself that he belonged at the highest level.

“I just told myself all year to stay down, it’s going to come,” Young said. “Making shots has always been there for me. I expected it 100 percent.”

His next goal is simple: keep building. “I knew I could do that,” he said. “I just want to do a little more.”

For Jaydon Young, that means continuing to honor the dream that started years ago- the one that began with watching Carolina basketball and now continues from inside the Smith Center.

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