Mack Brown on getting Tez Walker eligible: 'I sat there and cried'

North Carolina coach Mack Brown couldn’t help but get emotional when he received word that Tez Walker was granted eligibility. Walker sat out the first four games of action after the NCAA declared him ineligible due to transferring multiple times in his career.

However, after previously denying the Tar Heels’ appeal of that decision, the NCAA reversed course and granted him eligibility on Thursday in light of “new information.” It was a long time coming for the Kent State transfer, who came to Chapel Hill to be closer to his family and grandmother, who is battling illness and had never seen him play in college.

That changed Saturday, as Walker made his debut in the powder blue in front of several members of his family against Syracuse. Walker carried the flag as he led the team out of the tunnel, and Brown described the emotions of the days leading up to that game.

“I sat there and cried,” the coach said. “What a dream for that kid. I get emotional talking about it here. He has 12 people from his family on the field after the game taking pictures. That was a life’s dream for that kid.”

When Brown first received the news, he wasn’t sure exactly how Tez Walker would factor in to North Carolina’s game plan. There were only two days until kickoff, and the receiver had been practicing with the scout team.

There were some questions about how prepared he was for game action, but Brown and receivers coach Lonnie Galloway quickly got to work devising a plan. Ultimately, they decided not to start him, but still made sure he got plenty of involvement.

“Lonnie literally runs down to the meeting room with him and gets on the board and starts saying, ‘Here’s what we’re doing,'” Brown said. “Then we decided that it wasn’t fair to a 4-0 team with kids who have been practicing every day and doing well to just say, ‘Put him out there as a starter’ even though he was a starter before he couldn’t play.

“I did say to Lonnie, I think we put out 14 plays and I said, ‘Lonnie, you know Tez is eligible?’ He played 56 plays. So he played a lot. He messed a few things up because he wasn’t practicing, but this week we’ll go back and get him in the rotation and be able to put him out there.”

Walker finished the game with six catches for 43 yards, though he didn’t manage to score a touchdown. However, that will surely come later this season as he has more time to get integrated into the offense.

Walker ranked as the No. 10 transfer receiver this offseason according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings. He’ll surely play a large role in the back half of the year for the Tar Heels, who currently sit at 6-0 and have aspirations of winning a title.

Walker will hope to continue to make an impact when North Carolina faces Miami next week in Chapel Hill, where his family will surely again be there to watch with pride. Regardless, it’s a relief to have the situation behind him, and Saturday was special for all involved.

“I’ve never been prouder of a kid,” Brown said. “We had him carry the flag out because we thought the whole state rallied behind him. We thought that was important for him to be able to say thank you. That was his way to say thank you.

“He’s very humble. He wasn’t angry he didn’t start. He just wants to win and that was really a cool moment.”