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CHAPEL HILL – There is nothing ideal about the dilemma North Carolina’s offensive staff is facing right now with respect to game-planning for South Carolina.

The Tar Heels and Gamecocks square off Saturday night in Charlotte to open the 2023 football season, and UNC may or may not have perhaps its second best player on that side of the ball. Will Tez Walker play or won’t he is the $100,000 question.

And as of right now, nobody knows.

Walker and UNC are dealing with a well-publicized eligibility case with the NCAA, which has deemed him a two-time transfer saying he must sit out this season, but he can play in 2024. UNC has appealed the ruling, and is awaiting a decision on that appeal. A source very close to the situation told THI on Thursday there was continued communication between the two parties.

In the meantime, the Heels must get ready for South Carolina, but do so not knowing if the future NFL wide receiver can play.

“What we’ve got to do is have two game plans,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said earlier this week. “We’ve got to have a gameplan with him and one without him. It makes it difficult because you want your quarterback throwing to the guys he’s going to throw to in the game, and we’re not sure who he’s going to be throwing to.”

Walker had 921 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns on 58 catches last season at Kent State. He was a plug-and-play talent the minute he stepped on campus at UNC. But he learned in early August of the NCAA ruling, and has been in limbo ever since.

UNC has continued running Walker with the first team getting him his regular reps all along in the event he is cleared and can play, but for also the sake of his mental health, Brown has said multiple times. But as the game gets closer, the staff has an increasingly difficult decision to make regarding Walker’s practice reps.

Is there a benchmark for when they proceed forward as if he won’t play?

“I’m planning on him playing,” Brown said. “And that’s the only way we can look at it. And if not, we’ll just have to make last-second adjustments.”

The adjustments include using a variety of players in Carolina’s fairly deep receiver room, at least when it’s completely healthy. Nate McCollum was brought in from Georgia Tech after catching 60 passes last season and is a projected starter, or at least he will get starter’s snaps, provided he can go.

J.J. Jones is a returning starter, Kobe Paysour was outstanding in three games filling in for Josh Downs a year ago, Gavin Blackwell is experienced, and there’s some young inexperienced talent in there with Doc Chapman, Christian Hamilton and even Chris Culliver.

Perhaps the x-factor, however, is redshirt freshman Andre Greene, who has all-everything potential, but was slowed a bit last season with lower back issues and struggling with inconsistency. The latter followed him into the spring and fall camp, though he has played really well of late.

“One thing we have is a room full of guys that have played some,” offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. “I think we’ve got some experience in that room… Those guys are ready to step up, and they’ll have a role anyway.

“I think for me, we’re just trying to build the offense around what we’re capable of doing, what we can be good at. And if Tez is there, that’s even better.”

Added to the room at times has been sophomore running back George Pettaway. The speedster from Virginia has worked a lot the last month at slot, which plays to his skills, and the offense can be creative with him on the field, including using him as a jet sweep threat.

“We’re using George Pettaway some at running back and at slot,” Brown said. “So, he’s in a position where he can play both.”

In addition, Carolina may have the best tight end room in the nation. Bryson Nesbit, who is high on NFL watch lists for the position, has lined up at some receiver spots over the last month, and UNC will employ some 12 and 13 personnel, using the pass-catching abilities of the three guys in that room, which include Kamari Morales and John Copenhaver.

Whoever is available Saturday night, UNC has enough tools in its shed to post a productive performance. Though, knowing who it will absolutely have would certainly help.