UNC WR Tez Walker Ruled Eligible by NCAA After 'New Information' from School

North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker will be immediately eligible after "new information" came to light in his request for a hardship transfer waiver.

The NCAA released a statement Thursday laying blame on North Carolina for not providing information necessary for Walker to be granted eligibility earlier in the season.

"It is unfortunate that UNC failed to provide this important information previously," NCAA President Charlie Baker and Division I Board of Directors chair Jere Morehead said in a statement. "While we must be careful not to compromise a student-athlete's right to privacy when it comes to sensitive issues, we want to assure the Division I membership and everyone watching how the new transfer rules are applied, that this meets the new transfer waiver standards. UNC's behavior and decision to wage a public relations campaign is inappropriate and outside the bounds of the process UNC's own staff supported. Had the UNC staff not behaved in this fashion and submitted this information weeks ago, this entire unfortunate episode could have been avoided."

Walker played the previous two seasons at Kent State after transferring from North Carolina Central, which used up his one free transfer under NCAA rules. He applied for a hardship waiver to be eligible after moving back home to North Carolina to be near his grandmother.

North Carolina has been outwardly critical of the NCAA for its initial denial of Walker's hardship waiver. Tar Heels coach Mack Brown ripped into college football's governing body in September after it handed down what seemed to be a final denial.

"We're absolutely crushed to learn that Tez Walker's eligibility has been denied for this season and he won't be able to play," Brown said in a statement. "I don't know that I've ever been more disappointed in a person, a group of people, or an institution than I am with the NCAA right now. It's clear that the NCAA is about process and it couldn't care less about the young people it's supposed to be supporting. Plain and simple, the NCAA has failed Tez and his family and I've lost all faith in its ability to lead and govern our sport."

It seems like this is a situation where both sides are determined to cast blame on one another, and the only loser here is Walker. The redshirt junior compiled 58 receptions for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns last season at Kent State. He could have spent the first four weeks of the season catching passes from future first-round pick Drake Maye and building his own NFL tape, but instead he's played a waiting game in a battle between his school and the NCAA.

North Carolina hosts Syracuse in two days, so it's unclear if Walker will be ready to make his season debut by then. If he does, it'll likely be on a limited snap count.

However, come their Oct. 14 matchup against No. 17 Miami, the Heels should finally have their WR1 in place.