Mack Brown tells emotional, hilarious story on breaking eligibility news to Tez Walker
North Carolina receiver Tez Walker had been told no time and time again, and it was starting to weigh on him. Walker transferred to Chapel Hill from Kent State this offseason to be closer to his hometown of Charlotte and his grandmother, who was battling illness and had not seen him play in person during his college career.
However, the NCAA denied him eligibility as a two-time transfer, crushing those dreams. Tar Heels coach Mack Brown went to bat for Walker time and time again, appealing the NCAA’s decision. But when UNC kicked off the season in the receiver’s hometown against South Carolina, Walker remained ineligible.
“We learned Friday night at about 6 o’clock before the Charlotte game he’s not gonna play,” Brown told On3‘s Andy Staples. “Thirty family members and friends have tickets. It’s a life’s dream to play in his hometown against South Carolina in Bank of America Stadium with the Panthers, where he’s seen games forever. So that’s crushing.
“We worried about him. He doesn’t even want to come to the game, so I have to talk him into coming back to the game. Then the next Thursday, another committee looks at it and at 9 o’clock in the morning they have their process with him for an hour. Then we get a call at 4 o’clock he’s not gonna play against App State the next week. So we have to bring him in again and he’s just absolutely crushed.”
Brown and the team did everything they could to make Walker feel involved. During Week 2 against Appalachian State, UNC wore decals on the back of their helmets displaying the No. 9, which Walker would have worn if he could play.
The next week, Walker asked Brown to take the decals off, saying he felt uncomfortable with the attention. He also told the coach he didn’t want to travel with the team, offering that spot to a player who actually had an opportunity to get in the game.
Tez Walker offered to join the North Carolina scout team, as he felt like that was the only option he had at actually contributing. Brown could see how much pain the receiver was in, and despite multiple denials continued to do everything in his power to get the result he felt was right.
“We don’t say anything to him much because you don’t wanna hurt him again,” the coach explained. “How many let downs can you have? He doesn’t get NIL money, he doesn’t get to go to the pros. There’s boxes checked off on him that are changing his life. But a lot of important people are working on this. The trustees, the attorney general. He’s got a lawyer through NIL. We’re hoping that he might play again, but we’re not sure.”
Finally, with just two days until North Carolina kicked off against Syracuse in Week 6, Brown got the call he was waiting on.
The NCAA had finally reversed course and granted Walker eligibility for the remainder of the 2023 season. He could play that Saturday, and Brown couldn’t wait to deliver the news to the receiver.
“He’s in class, so I actually call him in class,” the coach explained. “He’s afraid to answer it and then he gets it. I said, ‘you need to come see me.’ I didn’t wanna get him all excited and have him tell somebody in class before his parents knew. He said, ‘coach, I can’t leave class.’ I said, ‘you can leave class. Just tell a professor that you’ve got an emergency you need to leave.’ He said, ‘coach, he may be mad at me.’ I said, ‘just trust me, you’re good.’
“He walks over and he comes in. (Receivers coach) Lonnie Galloway as coach is being a little cool and says, ‘coach has got something to tell ya.’ I said, ‘no, Lonnie. Come on, man. You’re eligible.’ I broke down and he broke down. I don’t think he could believe that it was true.”
Brown and Galloway ultimately decided not to start Walker with such little time to prepare for the game. The receiver still got to carry out the flag as the team ran onto the field, a special honor and his way of saying thank you for the support from the fan base.
It didn’t take long for Walker to see the field, however, and he finished with six catches for 43 yards.
“He didn’t play for about the first two series and I tell Lonnie, ‘I think we’re good,” Brown said. “Come on, man. Put him in the game.’ Then he busted a few things because he hadn’t been practicing. But with a full week, he settled down. He’s just playing now and having fun.”
With some extra practice under his belt, Tez Walker broke out in North Carolina’s win against Miami this past week. He led the Tar Heels with six catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns, proving himself the dangerous threat the team envisioned him being when he transferred.
The Tar Heels improved their record to 6-0 and jumped to No. 10 in the AP poll this week. Now with Walker able to play following his long journey, they look to challenge for a conference title this season.