North Carolina guard Jaydon Young is set to return to the Tar Heels in 2026-27, On3’s Joe Tipton reported. He was previously expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Young arrived at UNC this past season after two years at Virginia Tech. He appeared in 31 games with the Tar Heels and made four starts, averaging 7.2 minutes per game. During that time, he scored 1.8 points per game as a junior.

At Virginia Tech, Young became a contributor as a sophomore. He made 10 starts out of 32 games played and averaged 8.1 points per game to go with 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists. That came after he scored 1.8 points per game as a freshman in 2023-24. Now, he will get ready to run it back at UNC under new head coach Michael Malone.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and X account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Young arrived on the college basketball scene as a three-star prospect out of Greensboro (N.C.) Greensboro Day School. He was the No. 217 overall player from the 2023 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

Jaydon Young marks a retention for Malone and the Tar Heels. Guard Luka Bogavac is also reportedly preparing to run it back at North Carolina after averaging 9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists across 33 games this past year.

North Carolina preparing for new era

North Carolina went 24-9 overall this season, including 12-6 in ACC play. The Tar Heels entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed, but saw their 19-point lead evaporate against VCU as the Rams pulled off the biggest comeback in Round of 64 history.

From there, UNC weighed Davis’ future as head coach as rumors swirled about whether he’d be back in 2026-27. Days after the season-ending loss, North Carolina announced Davis’ departure as head coach, kicking off a coaching search for one of the coveted jobs in college basketball.

On April 7, the day the transfer portal window opened for men’s basketball, UNC announced Michael Malone as its next head coach. He last coached at the college level in 2001 as an assistant at Manhattan, but will now get ready to take over in Chapel Hill.

Malone is presently at work filling out his staff. He made his first notable addition this week as former Arkansas assistant Chuck Martin is coming aboard as associate head coach.