Jayhlon Young thought about stepping away.

Young, then weeks removed from a standout senior season at Garland High in Texas, arrived at Grambling State in the summer of 2019 to an unpleasant surprise.

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According to Young, he was told his roster spot wouldn’t be honored because the program had to clear space for a starter who’d made a late decision to return. Young used financial aid to study at the university while training on his own during what was supposed to be his freshman season. He tried to be resilient, but, eventually, the situation weighed on him.

“Man, I really thought about not hooping no more after that,” Young told The Daily Memphian. “I was just like, ‘I can’t do it.’”

It was a major setback on a path that now leads the 6-foot-2 Central Florida transfer point guard to Memphis. Young committed to the Tigers last Wednesday after a 2022-23 season with the Knights in which he averaged 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in a reserve role.

Though Young’s journey has been far from linear, it’s been rewarding in ways he couldn’t have ever imagined.

Young had few options after his time at Grambling State. The Dallas native was an unranked recruit in the 2019 class with no stats or film from his first year of college. So, he chose to take a step down and transfer to Baton Rouge Community College after an assistant coach at Grambling State connected him with the coaching staff there.

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While it was a humbling transition, Young never harbored any resentment. He instead focused on his on-court development, leading him to put together two all-conference seasons at BRCC after hitting his stride midway through his first year with the program.

“He’s what people call ‘an old soul,’” BRCC coach Don Green said of Young. “He’s very mature at a young age. And that allows him to continually move forward. He just keeps moving forward no matter what.”

Young earned Green’s respect with his steady off-court demeanor. But it was his play that punched his ticket back to the NCAA Division I level.

An ability to use his athleticism to create shots for himself or his teammates on offense and to hound opponents on defense caught the attention of UCF, where Young committed last May.

Young started eight games for the Knights to open the 2022-23 season when starting point guard Darius Johnson was sidelined with a lower-leg injury. In that stretch, he averaged 7.4 points, 3.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 30 minutes per contest to help lead his team to a 6-2 record.

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But Young’s role dwindled once Johnson returned — to the point of him averaging just 14 minutes over the next seven games until Johnson suffered a foot injury ahead of UCF’s Jan. 8 matchup with SMU.

“When it’s not his turn, he’s patient and he’ll wait his turn,” said Monika Manning, Young’s mother. “But when you put him out there and it is his turn, he’s gonna show up for you.”

With Young thrust into the starting lineup again for four more games, UCF picked up wins over SMU and Memphis but lost to Tulane and South Florida. Young came off the bench the rest of the way after Johnson was inserted back into the starting five in late January.

In 12 games as a starter, Young averaged 6.9 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game. The Knights were 8-4 in that span.

As Young’s minutes fluctuated greatly through the final eight weeks of the season, he didn’t always understand why. He soon began overthinking decisions on the court that he once never had to think about at all. It didn’t take long for that stress to build.

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“Even at UCF when I had good games, I feel like I still wasn’t me,” Young said. “I feel like I was playing so robotic.”

Young entered the NCAA transfer portal two days after UCF’s March 10 loss to Memphis in the AAC Tournament quarterfinals, but he chose to finish the season with his teammates after they learned they’d received an NIT bid.

Memphis reached out to Young later in the month, following the Tigers’ NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Florida Atlantic.

Young couldn’t believe it when he got a text message from Memphis coach Penny Hardaway.

“I was really shocked,” Young said. “He was like, ‘Hey, this is Coach Penny.’ I’m like, ‘Man, ain’t no way.’”

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Hardaway spoke to Young on the phone and told him that he’d be allowed to play freely and trust his own decision-making in Memphis’ system, and that he’d be “the head of the snake” of the team’s full-court press. Young came away from the conversation feeling confident he’d have an opportunity to earn a sizable role with next season’s Tigers.

After nearly 20 schools contacted him, Young narrowed down his list to Memphis, Georgia Tech and UNC-Asheville.

He visited Georgia Tech just days before visiting Memphis on April 27.

Young ultimately chose the Tigers six days after his trip to campus because of the opportunity to play in a city filled with passionate fans and the chance to learn from a former NBA star guard in Hardaway.

Though Young called the program a perfect fit, he knows there are fans who are skeptical of the impact he’ll have because of his modest stats.

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Still, he and those closest to him have no doubt that he’ll be a valuable piece to what Memphis hopes to accomplish in 2023-24.

“People who know talent,” Green said, “it doesn’t take them long to know, ‘This guy can help us.’”

Young has had to prove himself at every step of his collegiate career.

This time is no different.

While Young is already reaping the benefits from the adversity he’s battled to get to this point, it isn’t hard to see why some believe he might just be scratching the surface of all that he can become.

“Jay has no idea yet what he’s capable of doing,” Manning said. “He hasn’t even reached the highest point of his abilities yet.”