After missing the first four games of the 2023 season, due to eligibility issues, the NCAA announced on Thursday that wide receiver, Tez Walker, met the qualifications for the transfer wire, and is eligible to play starting this Saturday against Syracuse. Walker had missed the first of the month after he was deemed a two-time transfer, which causes players to sit out one season, despite him only having played at Kent State after his COVID season at North Carolina A&T was canceled due to the pandemic. Walker's inelgibility drew the ire of not only head coach Mack Brown, but many people involved in college athletics, as the hypocrisy of the NCAA never seems to amaze anybody. This led to a feud between Brown and the NCAA, as Brown was visibly upset that Walker was being wrongfully punished by the governing body of college football.
After much-deserved criticism, here is what the NCAA had to say on the matter coming to a resolution today "It is unfortunate that UNC failed to provide this important information previously...Had the UNC staff not behaved in this fashion and submitted this information weeks ago, this entire unfortunate episode could have been avoided.” That statement was obtained by college football insider Bruce Feldman, from Fox Sports.
Not only did the NCAA comment on the resolution but so did Mack Brown, who released this statement on the matter:
It didn't stop there, as the player in question, also released a statement, after finding out he is now eligible to play college football in his home state:
The Tar Heels passing game hasn't been as explosive as many around the country would've expected, with Drake Maye back at QB. The addition of Walker to a wide receiving core that has seen nice performances from Nate McCollum, Kobe Paysour, and even JJ Jones, will take Carolina's offense to a new level and it makes Carolina a legitimate threat to make it back to the ACC Championship Game.