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USATSI

North Carolina wide receiver Devontez Walker will serve as an honorary captain in Saturday's game against Appalachian State. Walker, who was recently denied eligibility for the 2023 season, will go out for the coin toss with North Carolina's other game captains. 

Walker was initially denied eligibility in June, but North Carolina attempted to appeal the decision and gain a waiver. It took the NCAA until Thursday to come to a final decision, ruling Walker out for the year since this is his second time transferring at the Division I level. 

Walker spent two years at Kent State before transferring to North Carolina. He initially signed with East Tennessee State out of high school, but suffered a serious injury and took a year away from football. In 2020, he enrolled at NC Central, which canceled its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That led Walker to Kent State in 2021, where he finally took his first collegiate snaps. 

Walker committed to North Carolina in December and enrolled on Jan. 9, two days before the NCAA passed its new mandate that limited eligibility for second-time transfers. UNC officials have publicly stated that mental health considerations factored into Walker's decision to transfer to Chapel Hill, and wanted to be closer to his ailing grandmother. 

Following the recent decision, North Carolina coach Mack Brown ripped into the NCAA. 

"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," Brown said in a statement. "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. They've messed so many things up as it relates to college football, and now their failures have negatively impacted the life of one of our own.

"Moving forward, our Carolina family is strong and we need to wrap our arms around Tez, lift him up, and make sure we continue to do all we can to support him," Brown continued. "He's continued to work, on the field and off, and remained an amazing member of our program throughout this ordeal. I know that will continue to happen because that's the kind of person he is. Despite this setback, Tez's future remains bright and we'll continue to do everything we can to help him fulfill all of his dreams."