Tez Walker makes his case for immediate eligibility amid 'difficult' transfer experience

A day after being named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, North Carolina receiver Tez Walker found out that he is not eligible to play for the Tar Heels this season.

Walker had his waiver request denied by the NCAA on Tuesday after transferring from Kent State to UNC this offseason.

The preseason All-ACC selection released a statement reacting to the news on Tuesday afternoon. Here is the full statement from Tez Walker about the NCAA’s decision. It includes why Walker made the decision to transfer and what the transfer process has been like for him:

“For some time now, I’ve been working with the administration at the University of North Carolina to be eligible for this season. When I made the decision to transfer from Kent St. back to my home area at UNC, I did so thinking I would be able to play this year,” Walker wrote. “The way the rules were set up at the time, we knew we’d have to file a waiver as a two-time transfer, and in previous years, those waivers were being granted. But, after entering the portal and enrolling in classes, the NCAA voted to change the rule on two-time transfers and denied my waiver. We’ve filed an appeal and are waiting on a ruling, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew my story, so they could understand why I made the decision I did and why I feel I should be eligible this season.

“The first, and main, reason I decided to transfer from Kent St. was the stress and anxiety I was feeling being away from home, while my grandmother deals with health issues. She is my rock, my everything, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. She took care of me when I was younger and being away from her and the rest of my family was very challenging and hard to deal with. It’s meant the world to us to be in the same area, where she’s just a short drive away and I have far more opportunities to be with her. There is also the added bonus that she would be able to see me play college football in person for the first time, since she wasn’t able to travel during my time at Kent St.

“This whole experience has been extremely difficult on me and my family. One day, we feel the excitement of being closer to each other. The next day, we’re worried about whether or not I’m going to be able to play. Before, I was dealing with the stress and anxiety of being away from home. Now, I’ve been dealing with those same things through the waiver process and it’s just making things worse. This should be one of the happiest times of my life, and instead, I don’t know what’s going to happen and I’m struggling with all of it.

“The second reason I believe I should be eligible is I’ve only played football at one school, so to me, this is really only my first transfer. I haven’t had an easy journey when it relates to college football. I thought I was going to East Tennessee St. out of high school, but a torn ACL put those plans on hold. I had to sit out the year while I was getting healthy because nobody wanted to take a chance on me. I got an opportunity the next year at NC Central, but both their fall and spring seasons were cancelled due to COVID. So, that is two seasons I missed due to no fault of my own.

“Before ever playing a down of college football, I headed off to Kent St. to give it another try and fortunately, found some success. I enjoyed my time at Kent St. and all of the people there were great to me. But I knew it would be best for me to get back home and be around my family. At the same time, my coaching staff left for other jobs, so it seemed like the right time for a change that would help remove the stress I was feeling.

“With all of that factored in and more, we’re hoping the people making the decision realize the stress and anxiety that comes along with this and can provide a resolution quickly. I did everything within the rules to allow me to play this year, have clearly had some things happen that were out of my control, and have dealt with the mental anguish that comes along with all of it.

“I want this to be over. I want to stop feeling like this. I just want to play. I want my grandmother to come watch me. I want to be a student and an athlete and I hope those in charge give me that opportunity.”

Now Tez Walker must wait to find out if he will get a chance to play this year.