Drake Maye raves over the impact of Tez Walker for North Carolina

After being deemed ineligible by the NCAA and missing the first four games of the college football season, North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker was granted eligibility through a waiver two weeks ago which allowed him to suit up for the Tar Heels for the first time against Syracuse.

He recorded six catches for 43 yards in his North Carolina debut, but had a true coming-out party this past weekend in his second game for the Tar Heels where he scored three touchdowns in the team’s 41-31 win over Miami.

Quarterback Drake Maye is the biggest beneficiary of Walker’s return, and after the game spoke about his impact on the offense.

“It’s just nice to have him out there, he’s a heck of a player, y’all saw that tonight,” Maye said.

Walker failed to reach the end zone in his first game as Tar Heel but ended his second with six receptions and 132 yards to go along with his three scores. His impact is evident whether he’s scoring or not, with Maye throwing for five touchdowns through the first four games of the season but seven in his last two with Walker in the lineup, which he also discussed.

“Like you said, he helps the guys around him, it really wasn’t as much as a showcase tonight because he was the one that had a really big game,” Maye said. “But last game was a testament to that, just having guys open and he’s unselfish, he’s tough to bring down, that’s one of the best things about him that people haven’t seen. Even though he’s kind of a leaner guy he’s tough to tackle, y’all saw that.”

Walker started his career at NC Central, but transferred to Kent State after his first season with the Eagles was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He broke out last season at Kent State with 921 yards and 11 touchdowns on 58 receptions and decided to take his talents back to the state of North Carolina in order to be closer home and his sick grandmother.

North Carolina requested a waiver to make Walker eligible for the 2023 season, since student-athletes typically aren’t allowed to play the following season after transferring twice. And after a long back and forth between the university and the NCAA, Walker is now able to play and dominate for the Tar Heels as he did on Saturday versus the Hurricanes.

“Just confident, a confidence booster when you have him rolling out there and seeing his smile out there on the field, it’s fun, it’s good times,” Maye said.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound wideout from Charlotte was a three-star prospect out of high school ranked the No. 1774 overall prospect and No. 253 wide receiver for the 2019 class according to On3’s Industry Ranking. But after entering the transfer portal this offseason he was ranked the No. 17 overall player and No. 10 wide receiver available in the portal according to On3’s 2023 College Football Transfer Portal Top Players list.

He surely lived up to the hype this Saturday, as he got the best of Miami’s defense on a multitude of deep routes, breaking tackles, and even getting involved in the run game on a 20-yard reverse play.

Sideline reporter Molly McGrath revealed during the broadcast that Walker was still learning the offense in his debut, with teammates telling him which routes to run before taking the field. But it was clear in his second game that he now that he has a better understanding of the offense and can continue being a big-time weapon for Maye moving forward.