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Former NFL executive analyzes most impressive aspect of Tez Walker’s breakout game vs Miami

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Former NFL executive analyzes most impressive aspect of Tez Walker’s breakout game vs Miami


Tez Walker had a coming out party for North Carolina on Saturday against Miami.

The former Kent State star, who wasn’t ruled eligible until earlier this month, had six catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns against the Hurricanes to help UNC improve to 6-0 on the year.

Former NFL executive Jim Nagy, who is currently the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, joined On3’s Andy Staples recently and shared his thoughts on Walker’s performance.

“Well, just amazing that he can come back… you would think he would be rusty,” Nagy said. “That certainly wasn’t the case.”

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Tez Walker caught 58 passes for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns last season at Kent State and played well against top competition.

Against the eventual national champions in Georgia, he caught seven passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. So far, in just a couple of games at UNC, Walker has shown that he can be a difference maker in the ACC.

“I mean yea, we liked the Kent State tape. There were some cool playoff games for them last year when they played at Georgia, and he caught a quick hitch and took it to the house against a fast Georgia defense,” Nagy said. “So we knew he was explosive. He can get down the field and make plays.”

Tez Walker should continue to excel at North Carolina the second half of the season.

Of course, it helps that Drake Maye is his quarterback. The Tar Heels star is widely expected to be a top 10 pick in next year’s NFL draft.

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“When you have a deep ball thrower like Drake Maye, who can really play to your strengths as a player, I mean that’s a great marriage right there,” Nagy said. “So it didn’t surprise us that Tez could make an impact like that. We thought he would going into the season.”

What Nagy wasn’t as certain of is that Walker would be playing so well this early on.

He was deemed eligible by the NCAA just a few days before North Carolina’s game against Syracuse on Oct. 7.

Walker caught six passes for 43 yards in his first outing as a Tar Heel, while receiving a limited number of snaps. He then exploded for six catches for 132 yards and three scores against Miami, dominating the game.

“Coming off that long rest and that break and just having that chemistry was really cool to see,” Nagy said. “Three touchdowns in the first game back, that was pretty huge.”

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North Carolina

North Carolina Zoo celebrates its 50 anniversary

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North Carolina Zoo celebrates its 50 anniversary


ASHEBORO, N.C. (WTVD) — The North Carolina Zoo is celebrating 50 years.

Located in Asheboro, the zoo houses about 1,700 animals and over 250 species primarily from Africa and North America.

On social media, NC Zoo wrote Friday:

“Throughout our history, we’ve been home to a diverse array of remarkable animals, dedicated keepers, and passionate employees who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Join us in honoring this milestone by visiting the Zoo in 2024!”

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The Zoo also mentioned the Zoo’s first animals, which were two Galapagos tortoises named Tort and Retort.

The post said in part: “These two tortoises symbolize the early days of the North Carolina Zoo and are cherished deeply in our hearts.”

The North Carolina Zoo is one of two state-supported zoos in the country. The other is the Minnesota Zoo.

Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.





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NC has some of the most dangerous roads in the US: See how Wilmington-area counties rank

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NC has some of the most dangerous roads in the US: See how Wilmington-area counties rank


With a recent study revealing North Carolina as one of the states with the riskiest roads to travel, some may wonder how safe the roads are here in the Cape Fear region. 

MarketWatch Guides, a site that provides “reviews of consumer products and services to help readers make educated purchasing decisions,” focuses in part on car insurance comparisons, vehicle safety and more.  

A recent study by the site analyzed factors including annual miles driven per 100,000 system miles, percentage of rough roads and fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers. States were given a rating out of 10 points, with 10 being the most dangerous. 

More: Distracted driving in Wilmington: How big of a problem is it?

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North Carolina’s ranking among the most dangerous

According to the study, the states with the most dangerous drivers based on the factors studied are: 

  1. Louisiana – 7.55/10 
  1. California – 7.21/10
  1. New Mexico – 6.74/10
  1. Hawaii – 6.73/10
  1. Delaware – 6.67/10
  1. New Jersey – 6.53/10
  1. Mississippi – 6.47/10
  1. North Carolina – 6.39/10
  1. Massachusetts – 6.33/10
  1. Maryland and Texas – 6.26/10

According to the study, North Carolina had 32.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers, but only 2.1% of rough roads, which was the lowest percentage out of the other ranked states.  

For a more localized perspective, the North Carolina Department of Transportation releases annual traffic crash facts data. The most recent 2022 report includes a ranking of counties based on several factors, including reported crashes, crash severity, crash rates based on population, registered vehicles and estimated vehicle miles traveled.  

The most dangerous county for drivers, ranked at No. 1 for the past five years, was Robeson County. The county had 60 fatal crashes in 2022 with 1,136 non-fatal injury crashes. The rest of the total 4,056 crashes were property-damage-only. The county with the best ranking was Hyde County, coming in at No. 100. The county had one fatal crash in 2022 and 10 non-fatal injury crashes. The county had a total of 45 crashes, the rest of which were property damage only.

More: MyReporter: Which intersections see the most red-light camera violations in Wilmington?

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Here’s where the Cape Fear region counties ranked. 

Brunswick County

Ranked No. 76 in 2022, Brunswick County had 25 fatal crashes and 715 non-fatal injury crashes. The total crashes for that year were 3,146. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.

New Hanover County

Ranked No. 58, New Hanover had 19 fatal crashes and 1,313 non-fatal injury crashes, both of which went down from 2021. The total crashes in New Hanover were 5,617. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.

Pender County

Ranked No. 47, Pender County had the worst ranking despite having the lowest number of crashes. The county had 12 fatal crashes and 374 non-fatal injury crashes, and a total of 1,156 crashes. The rest of the crashes were property damage only.  

Iris Seaton, USA Today Network, contributed to this report.

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Tropical Storm Debby expected to bring rainfall to Virginia & North Carolina

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Tropical Storm Debby expected to bring rainfall to Virginia & North Carolina


Tropical Storm Debby already has parts of Florida under tropical storm warnings. The Florida Big Bend is currently under a Hurricane Warning. Debby is forecast to briefly strengthen into a category 1 hurricane as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico where water temperatures are near 90 degrees.

As it continues its path over land it is expected to dial back to tropical storm strength as it reaches the Carolinas mid to late next week. Moderate rainfall is possible for northeast North Carolina and southern Virginia by the end of the week.

Higher amounts of rain are possible for southernmost portions of the Outer Banks but generally models show 2-4 inches for northeast North Carolina and 1-2 inches for southern Virginia through Thursday.

Stay with News 3’s First Warning Weather Team for the latest updates as the storm develops.

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