The status of former North Carolina Central and Kent State football standout Tez Walker has taken the college football world by storm, even piquing the interest of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. Cooper wrote a letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker asking for the transfer waiver of Devontez Walker to UNC to be accepted. Baker served as Republican governor of Massachuset from 2015-2023 and Cooper referenced their close relationship in the letter. Governor Roy Cooper is an alumnus of North Carolina.

“During your service as Governor of Massachusetts, I admired your dogged pursuit of commonsense solutions to our thorniest problems,” Cooper wrote as reported by Brian Murphy of WRAL. “In your current service leading the NCAA, I have great hope that you will be able to bring the same thoughtful and balanced approach to the rapidly evolving world of college sports. This is the first time I have taken such an action, but this is an unusual and compelling case amidst the backdrop of all the major changes happening in the NCAA.”

Walker enrolled at North Carolina Central in 2019 after he suffered a knee injury that postponed his plans to attend East Tennessee State. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of football season for programs around the nation and the Eagles did not take the field in Spring 2021. Walker then transferred at went to Kent State, where he played for two seasons. In his two years with the Golden Flashes, Waker compiled an impressive stat line of 63 receptions for 1,045 yards and 12 touchdowns. In his sophomore season last year, he caught 58 passes for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns. His stellar play earned him a spot on the 2023 Biletnikoff Award Watch List, awarded at the end of the season to the most outstanding receiver in FBS.

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Tez Walker wanted to transfer to the University of North Carolina to be closer to family, as referenced in his letter to the NCAA posted on Twitter by the Tar Heels social media account. Unfortunately, the NCAA denied his waiver for immediate eligibility following his transfer from Kent State.

“The first, and main, reason I decided to transfer from Kent St. was the stress and anxiety I was feeling being away from home, while my grandmother deals with health issues. She is my rock, my everything, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her…It’s meant the world to us to be in the same area, where she’s just a short drive away and I have far more opportunities to be with her. There is also the added bonus that she would be able to see me play college football in person for the first time since she wasn’t able to travel during my time at Kent St.”

The Tar Heels look to have Walker on the team when they start the season against South Carolina in the 2023 Dukes Mayo Classic on Saturday, September 2nd at 7:30 PM EST. The game will air in prime time on ABC.