Mack Brown on Tez Walker being ineligible: 'It's not fair'

By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

Chapel Hill, N.C. — North Carolina football coach Mack Brown discussed his team’s preparations Monday before this weekend’s game against Minnesota.

However, the attention is on the university’s response to the NCAA determining transfer wide receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker is ineligible.

On Monday afternoon, the UNC Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting to discuss potential legal options in the eligibility case of Walker, a source with direct knowledge told WRAL News. The board held a closed-doors meeting for more than 90 minutes.

“I’m really, really proud of our Board of Trustees that they’re standing up to try to figure out what’s best and so we can see all of our options, get a singular voice and then move forward,” Brown said.

On Monday, Brown didn’t mince his words about the NCAA’s decision about Walker.

“I think it’s awful. I think’s it’s very poor,” Brown said. “It’s not fair.

“There was a path for him to be eligible without question.”

After the closed-doors meeting, Brown and North Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham deferred any questions to Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz.

"This was an important meeting where we received some legal updates that will help inform us as we do everything possible to support our student-athletes here at Carolina," Guskiewicz said in brief remarks after the meeting adjourned. "We're keeping all options on the table for how to best support our student-athletes at Carolina, and we felt as if we needed some advice from both our legal counsel here and some outside counsel that we've brought in to help us with these matters."

Brown said he and assistant head coach Lonnie Galloway had to give Walker the news of the NCAA’s decision.

“I told him,” Brown said. “The NCAA doesn’t have to tell him. I had to tell him. I’m shocked that he’s not eligible.”

Walker was seen on the Tar Heels sideline on Saturday.

“We didn’t know if he was going to quit school,” Brown said.

Brown said Walker was “really, really distraught.”

On Monday, Brown said he and his coaching staff thought Walker would be eligible for the 2023 season. Brown said he thinks it’s important the university comes to a consensus of how to handle the NCAA’s decision.

“This is important for me to know what we can do,” Brown said. “And, I’m tired of being asked and not knowing and he asked me.

“And, I said, ‘I don’t know.’ So, there will be people with answers, I hope, and we’ll all know more [Monday] afternoon.”

UNC preps for Minnesota

Meanwhile, kickoff between North Carolina and Minnesota is set for 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill. The game airs on ESPN.

“We need our fans to be really loud and make a difference,” Brown said.

Brown said Minnesota (2-0) is very physical team.

“They’re huge,” Brown said.

The Golden Gophers beat Nebraska 13-10 in the opening week of the season and beat Eastern Michigan 25-6 on Saturday.

North Carolina hangs on against App State in double overtime

On Saturday, North Carolina hung on to beat Appalachian State 40-34 in double overtime.

“The last eight Power 5 teams they’ve played within 7 points, and they’ve won three of those games despite all of them being on the road I think but us (in 2022) is amazing,” Brown said. “That’s just who they are and those kids fought so hard and they fought with so much pride, and I thought [App State head coach] Shawn Clark did a better job with his team than we did with ours.”

Brown said the Tar Heels made twice as many mistakes against App State compared to the season opener against South Carolina.

“Why we didn’t play as well? Why didn’t we coach as well?” Brown said. “I don’t know, and those are things you have to answer.”