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NCAA continues to botch UNC WR Devontez Walker's eligibility
Another day, another reminder the NCAA is a joke.
North Carolina wide receiver Devontez Walker won't play in the Tar Heels' prime-time season opener against South Carolina because he's waiting on a decision from an appeals committee regarding his eligibility.
Walker originally committed to North Carolina Central, but that program's 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.
He then transferred to Kent State, where he played the past two seasons before moving to North Carolina to be closer to an ailing family member. Last season, Walker led the Golden Flashes in receptions (58), receiving yards (921) and receiving touchdowns (11).
The NCAA ruled him ineligible due to its two-time transfer rule, and an appeal did not overturn the decision, failing to account for the fact that Walker initially entered the portal before the two-transfer rule was implemented or that his first school didn't have a football season the year he attended.
North Carolina head coach Mack Brown blasted the NCAA on Friday:
"They say they're about helping kids, but all they've done is add to the very mental health issues Tez has been dealing with that made him want to get closer to home to begin with. You can't say you're about helping kids and then show a total disregard for the kids you're supposed to be helping. It's clear they are about the process and not the people."
The two-time transfer rule is meant to curb portal movement among undergraduates, but it's a poor solution, largely because it puts the onus on the players when oftentimes programs are guilty of tampering well before players enter the portal.
In a May 2021 ESPN article, Alex Scarborough wrote, "A former four-star athlete told [ESPN's Tom] VanHaaren he wouldn't have entered the portal ... if he hadn't known ahead of time that he would have his choice of landing spots."
Also, what about when players fall out of favor with a coaching staff and are pushed toward the portal? That's not to mention the hypocrisy of coaches being able to freely jump from job to job while the players they recruited are constricted.
It's less maddening than disappointing that the NCAA has missed the mark with Walker. The institution is often criticized for its nonsensible rules and the glacial pace it conducts its investigations.
No need to rush, NCAA. It's only one man's present and future you're messing with. With quarterback Drake Maye, Walker has one of the best quarterbacks in college football to work with to help his NFL Draft stock.
As ESPN's Pete Thamel noted on Saturday, he's a potential top 50 player on NFL big boards.
A final decision on the second appeal is expected this week. Just 18-percent of the 81 second-transfer (or more) waivers have been passed this school year, per a document the NCAA send out last week. Walker is a Top 50 NFL Draft prospect.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 2, 2023
He should have been declared eligible months ago, not a week into the regular season.
Shame on the NCAA for lacking any common sense or urgency when there's so much at stake.
More must-reads:
- Mack Brown shares one thing he thinks will help college football
- Key 2023 storyline for every top 25 college football team
- The 'MLB playoff home run leaders' quiz
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