North Carolina transfer wide receiver Tez Walker's waiver for immediate eligibility has been denied, according to a Tuesday tweet from Inside Carolina Sports Reporter Taylor Vippolis.

“Major news for Carolina: Tez Walker's waiver for immediate eligibility has been denied,” Vippolis wrote. “UNC is trying to appeal the decision by the NCAA. This comes a day after Walker was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list.”

Walker, a former 3-star recruit from Charlotte, N.C., initially transferred to the Tar Heels in December after spending two seasons with the Kent State Golden Flashes. The 6-foot-3 receiver finished the 2022 season with a team-leading 921 receiving yards and 11 touchdown passes. A 159-yard, two-touchdown performance against Miami (OH) in October highlighted his 2022 campaign. He hauled in 11 receptions as the RedHawks took a 27-24 victory over Kent State in Yager Stadium.

North Carolina's offense finished the 2022 season with an average of 309.3 passing yards per game, putting them in second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and ahead of the Florida State, Boston College and Miami, according to TheACC.com. Their 4,330 total passing yards put them at the top of the conference.

Receiver J.J. Jones, who took fourth place on the squad with 434 receiving yards, will return for a third season with North Carolina in 2023. Wideout Nate McCollum committed to the Tar Heels from Georgia Tech in December after spending three seasons with the Yellow Jackets. Quarterback Drake Maye, an ACC Player of the Year and First-Team All-ACC selection in 2022, will return to the Tar Heels for their 2023 campaign.

North Carolina's 2023 football recruiting class features four-star wide receivers Chris Culliver and Christian Hamilton. They enrolled in a recruiting class that took 28th place in the country and spots ahead of Washington, Kentucky and Nebraska in 247Sports's recruitment class rankings. The team finished with a 9-5 overall record and a 6-2 record against conference opponents.