UNC football’s Mack Brown said Tez Walker is ‘really struggling’ over NCAA decision

North Carolina football coach Mack Brown made a public appeal Tuesday for the NCAA to show fairness and compassion in reaching a decision on wide receiver Tez Walker.

Walker, a transfer from Kent State, was denied immediate eligibility for the 2023 season because of the NCAA’s rule involving second transfers. UNC is appealing, stressing Walker played at only one school before transferring into the Tar Heels’ program.

UNC is awaiting an NCAA ruling and Brown said there is no discernible timetable – either for the NCAA to consider the case or rule on it. UNC, and Walker, can only wait.

“We’re pleading with the NCAA to make a decision, because it puts more pressure on the young guy every day,” Brown said Tuesday. “He’s really struggling. I’ve seen him crying after practice. He came over to me and said, ‘Have you heard anything?’ and he does every day.

“It’s not us. We’ll be able to play if he doesn’t play. We’ll have somebody ready. ... But for him, imagine what he has on the line and the mental health issues and having to wait.”

Walker came to UNC to play for the Tar Heels but also to be closer to his ailing grandmother in Charlotte.

“The first and main reason I decided to transfer from Kent State was the stress and anxiety I was feeling being away from home while my grandmother deals with health issues,” Walker said in a statement released by UNC.

Walker, a Charlotte native, has transferred twice — from N.C. Central to Kent State, then to UNC — but played college football only at Kent State after NCCU’s 2020 season was canceled because of COVID-19 issues.

Walker enrolled at UNC on Jan. 9, only to have the NCAA change its rules on two-time transfers Jan. 11 and become more restrictive on immediate eligibility. UNC had requested a waiver for Walker, a preseason All-ACC choice, but it was denied.

“If you care about student welfare, if you say, ‘I care about mental health,’ this is a classic student-welfare, mental-health situation,” Brown said. “On top of it, he made a decision (and) they changed the rule two days after he was admitted to school. So he couldn’t go back. And Kent State has sent a letter that says it’s in his best interest that he transfers. That’s pretty powerful. That’s not happening in many places because they were worried about him and they wanted him to get back home.

“But for him, imagine what he has on the line and the mental-health issues and having to wait. ... As I look at it, I see a mental-health issue, and I see it at the highest level. I can’t imagine some committee that’s sitting up in Indianapolis with the doors closed that has never met this kid doesn’t have to step up and really look at mental health if we’re worried student-athlete mental health, as we say we are.”

UNC injury update

Brown addressed the media Tuesday after a practice held indoors because of the heat index. In updating injuries, he said offensive lineman R.J. Grigsby would be out four to six weeks with a lower-leg injury, and said defensive back Lejond Cavazos also will be sidelined four to six weeks.

Brown said the initial fear was Cavazos might be out for the season, saying it was “great news for both of those young guys.”

“We’ve got a lot of guys, like everybody in the country, banged up in preseason practice,” Brown said.

Scrimmage assessment

The Tar Heels, who open Sept. 2 against South Carolina in Charlotte, scrimmaged Saturday. Brown’s takeaways:

“We’re fast. We’re playing the ball better at corner. We only gave up three explosive plays, which is totally unlike last year on defense, which again worries you more that we need to get more explosive plays on offense.

“But they’re really competing. They’re getting along. We’ve got to get depth at linebacker and we haven’t gotten that yet. I am encouraged about our pass rush. I am encouraged better about tackles for a loss. I still think we give up too many big runs, and we need to get better.”