UNC wide receiver Tez Walker, a preseason first team All-ACC honoree and member of the Biletnikoff Award watch list, has had his waiver appeal for immediate eligibility denied by the NCAA. This means Walker will not be eligible to play in 2023, though UNC is appealing the decision.
Walker’s college journey has had several twists and turns. He originally accepted an offer to play football at East Tennessee State in 2019, but the offer was deferred after Walker suffered a knee injury and he never enrolled. He then enrolled at North Carolina Central, but the 2020 FCS season was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Walker then finally ended up at Kent State, where he played two seasons for the Golden Flashes before entering the transfer portal after the 2022 season and committing to the Tar Heels.
“For some time now, I’ve been working with the administration at the University of North Carolina to be eligible for this season,” Walker, a Charlotte native, said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “When I made the decision to transfer from Kent State back to my home area at UNC, I did so thinking I would be able to play this year.”
According to UNC head coach Mack Brown, Walker originally enrolled at Carolina without incident on January 9. Brown said the NCAA then enacted stricter rules relating to the transfer waiver process two days later, meaning fewer players who have transferred multiple times would be immediately eligible. Walker, who according to Brown had his waiver granted under the old set of rules, did not meet the NCAA’s standards for the stricter rules.
“Tez has only played football at one school, and should be considered a first-time transfer,” Brown said. “He was coming back here to be closer to home… but also, his grandmother had never seen him play. She was not healthy, and she couldn’t go to Kent State to see him play. It’s very important in his life that she see him play.”
“She is my rock, my everything, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her,” Walker said of his grandmother. “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.”
Brown said Kent State “fully supports” Walker’s immediate eligibility for the 2023 season. Brown also said UNC feels “very, very good moving forward” about the prospects of the appeal. A UNC spokesperson referred to the decision as a “slam dunk” and a “no-brainer.”
“He’s followed all the rules,” Brown said. “And then the rules were changed.”
“We’re hoping the people making this decision realize the stress and anxiety that comes along with this and can provide a resolution quickly,” said Walker. “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.”
Featured image via USA Today Sports/Dale Zanine
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
