North Carolina transfer WR Tez Walker won't play in opener vs. South Carolina amid NCAA eligibility dispute

North Carolina transfer wideout Tez Walker won’t play in the season opener against South Carolina in Charlotte on Saturday as he awaits a final eligibility decision from the NCAA. He was deemed ineligible for a transfer waiver in August.

The Tar Heels have not exhausted options and are appealing the decision further to the NCAA. However, a decision won’t be coming in time for Walker to be eligible for Week 1. Head coach Mack Brown released a statement calling out the NCAA and pushing for Walker to be declared eligible.

“Our institution has been pushing for Tez’s case to be reviewed by the assigned committee, so that it could be heard prior to our first game. But, the NCAA’s unwillingness to provide clarification over the last few weeks has left us in this position,” Brown said.

Walker began his career at North Carolina Central, but didn’t play a single game there as the 2020 season was cancelled due to Covid-19. He transferred to Kent State, where he played two seasons before transferring to North Carolina this offseason.

Walker and North Carolina feel his first transfer shouldn’t count against him and make him a second-time transfer, forcing him to sit out the year as the NCAA has rule.

Additionally, Brown feels Walker should’ve been grandfathered into a previous ruleset where he’d be eligible anyways.

According to reporter Michael Koh, Brown said at the time the waiver was denied that Walker enrolled at UNC under immediate eligibility rules in January. The rules then changed two days later, but Walker was not grandfathered in.

“We feel that this should be a no-brainer,” Brown said then.

In his latest statement, Brown excoriated the NCAA for a disregard of athlete welfare and focusing on “process and not people” in making decisions.

“They say they’re about helping kids, but all they’ve done is add to the very mental health issues Tez has been dealing with that made him want to get closer to home to begin with. You can’t say you’re about helping kids and then show a total disregard for the kids you’re supposed to be helping. It’s clear they are about process and not people,” Brown said. “Fortunately, the committee still has a chance to recommend a correction to this egregious error. We look forward to them hearing his case, and recommending the only outcome this case deserves, that Tez Walker should be eligible to play.”