Until two weeks ago, the phrase “the Tez Walker Experience” meant something completely different around Chapel Hill. It meant legal headaches, miles of red tape and a decidedly avoidable injustice at the hands of the NCAA.
Now it means long passes, broken tackles and highlight-reel touchdowns. Just ask the Miami defense.
Walker torched the Hurricane secondary to the tune of 132 receiving yards and three touchdowns, the latter being a career-high for the transfer from Kent State. Though Walker made his Tar Heel debut last weekend against Syracuse, it was this performance in the 41-31 win which truly served as his coming-out party.
The groundwork for the performance was laid during the week, when Walker finally got to experience a normal practice routine after weeks on the scout team. After one practice in particular, quarterback Drake Maye remembered Walker pulled him and the rest of the receivers aside for an impromptu study session.
“He brought us in on Thursday, and he said, ‘Drake, let’s watch some film,’” Maye said after the game. “We got pretty much all the receivers together in the receiver room. Just me in there with the guys. It’s just a testament to the guy he is and how much he wants to win.”
Walker, who is quiet and reserved off the field as opposed to his on-field fire (he emphatically threw down the Miami “U” in front of the visiting fan section after his third touchdown), shrugged off the film session as nothing new for him.
“That’s just me in general,” he said. “I prep like that every week. I feel like it’s good to get all the younger receivers to come along and help them with whatever they need, help them learn how to prepare and watch film.”
Though Walker’s effectiveness against Syracuse was limited due to the short turnaround, teammates and coaches noted the “Tez effect” of drawing defenders in coverage away from other Tar Heel receivers. Against Miami, Walker simply cut out the middle man and hauled in the passes himself. His six catches were twice as many as any other Carolina receiver had on the night. Head coach Mack Brown said Walker provides a dimension to the UNC offense that simply wasn’t there before.
“We were 4-0 without him; obviously we have a chance to be much better with him,” Brown said. “Now that people have seen him, it’s going to change the way people play defense against us. His presence is a game changer.”
North Carolina wide receiver Devontez Walker (9) celebrates a catch during the second half of the team’s NCAA college football game against Miami, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
It’s hard to get more than a sentence or two out of Walker during press conferences, but the smile on his face Saturday night was omnipresent. After enduring the stress and anxiety that comes with a tussle with the NCAA, Walker’s star-making performance against the Hurricanes felt cathartic.
“He just keeps talking about how blessed he is,” Brown said, “and how much fun it is for him to play. He’s tough, he’s smart, he blocks well. I thought he played unbelievable for his first game where he actually got to practice a little bit.”
This is what the Tez Walker Experience always should have been. Legalese needlessly robbed him and Carolina fans of four games, but now his presence cannot be denied.
Neither can this: with Walker now fully in the fold, Saturday night’s win could only be the beginning.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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