Pete Thamel reveals how much Tez Walker will play in North Carolina debut

Tez Walker was finally ruled eligible by the NCAA and will make his North Carolina Tar Heels debut Saturday against Syracuse.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel got the inside scoop on Walker’s playing time for UNC. Since he hasn’t played yet, it’s a situation of if he’s ready to go for a full slate.

It could be a little or it could be a lot. Either way, Walker is ready to go in any capacity.

“When he got the news on Thursday that his eligibility decision had been reversed, he ran a go route right to the receivers room,” Thamel said on College GameDay. “He huddled with Lonnie Galloway, the UNC receivers coach for two hours, they went over gameplan specific things for Syracuse. Walker will not start today for UNC but he will play outside receiver. 

“Galloway told me how many snaps and it will be a feel thing. Could be 10, could be 20, it could be 30. Tez Walker is a 6-foot-3, 200 pound receiver and is considered a top 50 NFL prospect. Saturday though, his biggest opponent may be adrenaline. He’s making his UNC debut in front of his family. He’s a Carolina native coming home and Mack Brown feels a little chesty. He’s talking smack to Pat (McAfee) saying the Tar Heels are a College Football Playoff team.”

Walker began his college career at NC Central, before transferring to Kent State and eventually North Carolina. During the offseason, UNC requested a waiver to make Walker eligible for the 2023 season. However it was denied.

The NCAA stated that Walker could not play this season because he was transferring for the second time. However, UNC argued that because NC Central’s season was canceled due to COVID-19 the one year he was there, Walker should be viewed as a first-time transfer because he had only previously played in a game at one school.

The Tar Heels administration also pointed out that Walker, who is from Charlotte, moved from Kent State back closer to home to be closer to his sick grandmother.

As a sophomore in 2022, Walker started all 12 games and earned first-team All-MAC honors. He caught 58 passes for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.Walker joins a North Carolina team that is currently 4-0 (1-0) heading into Saturday’s game against Syracuse. He will be catching passes from one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Drake Maye, who is widely expected to be a top 5 pick in next year’s NFL draft.