North Carolina
Why Florida State’s Darrell Jackson, North Carolina’s Tez Walker will be eligible for Playoff, bowl games but not ACC title game
Despite both players being ruled ineligible to play this season by the NCAA due to being multi-time undergraduate transfers, Florida State and North Carolina will ultimately be able to get Darrell Jackson and Tez Walker on the field at some point this year after all.
It just won’t be for another for another three months.
Both Jackson and Walker will be eligible to play in the postseason. However, that’s limited to just College Football Playoff or bowl games and doesn’t include the ACC championship game should FSU and/or North Carolina make it.
The explanation for all that? In spite of the rulings and denied appeals from the NCAA regarding their eligibility for this season, both players will be eligible to play once they complete two semesters in residence at their schools, a source tells On3. The semesters at both FSU and North Carolina end the week after the ACC championship game, which is set to be played Dec. 2.
Nevertheless, it’s at least somewhat a positive for Jackson and Walker. And in the case of Jackson for example, it could also provide a postseason lift for one of the nation’s top national championship contenders.
Jackson, who started his college career at Maryland before spending last year at Miami, started all 12 games for the Hurricanes last season. The 6-foot-5, 334-pound Jackson finished the year with 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. That came after he made 22 tackles as a freshman at Maryland.
“He’s been working,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said of Jackson. “I’ve been really proud of him. I think he’s getting good work. He’s approaching every day the way we want him to approach it. He’s getting better and he’s continuing to push and he’s trying to go into every week as if he was playing, which that can be hard. It’s hard for a young man to know that they’re not going to be able to get on the field on Saturday but still to get their mindset and approach that this is still the most important rep of my life. I think he’s doing that.”
As for Walker, he was in position to be North Carolina’s top receiver, was a preseason first-team All-ACC selection and was viewed by NFL scouts as a potential top four round draft pick prior to being ruled ineligible.
Walker, who began his college career at NC Central, transferred to Kent State after NC Central’s 2020 season was canceled due to COVID. He then transferred to North Carolina this offseason after earning first-team All-MAC recognition last year at Kent State.
The decision to transfer to UNC came in part to the North Carolina native wanting to be closer to his sick grandmother. Nevertheless, despite that and other stuff like UNC arguing that Walker’s year at NC Central shouldn’t be counted since the team’s season was canceled, the NCAA still ruled Walker ineligible and then denied multiple appeals.
“We’re absolutely crushed to learn that Tez Walker’s eligibility has been denied for this season and he won’t be able to play,” Brown said earlier this month. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been more disappointed in a person, a group of people, or an institution than I am with the NCAA right now. It’s clear that the NCAA is about process and it couldn’t care less about the young people it’s supposed to be supporting. Plain and simple, the NCAA has failed Tez and his family and I’ve lost all faith in its ability to lead and govern our sport.”
However, just like with FSU and Jackson, UNC will now at least be able to get Walker on the field this postseason. Like the Seminoles, the Tar Heels are 4-0 through the first four weeks of the season. Florida State was ranked No. 5 in the most recent AP poll. North Carolina was ranked 15th.
North Carolina
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?
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:
- Louisiana – 7.55/10
- California – 7.21/10
- New Mexico – 6.74/10
- Hawaii – 6.73/10
- Delaware – 6.67/10
- New Jersey – 6.53/10
- Mississippi – 6.47/10
- North Carolina – 6.39/10
- Massachusetts – 6.33/10
- 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?
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.
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.
The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor a tropical depression over Cuba. It’s expected to become a tropical storm later Saturday, bringing impacts to the Carolinas around the middle of next week.
Heavy rainfall and flooding are the primary impacts expected, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
“Gusty winds are also possible, but it is too early to predict specific impacts in great detail at this time,” the weather service said.
At the same time, there is the potential for heavy rainfall and some flooding associated with front expected to stall inland this weekend.
As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the center of the tropical depression, which would be name Debby if it becomes a tropical storm, was over Cuba and moving west-northwest near 15 mph. The hurricane center said a turn toward the northwest is forecast for Saturday, followed by a northward motion on Sunday and then a slower northeastwardmotion Sunday night and Monday.
Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph. Slow strengthening is expected throughout the day Saturday. Faster strengthening is possible Sunday, with the storm nearing hurricane strength when it reaches the Florida Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said.
STORM TRACKER: Monitor the latest tropical developments here.
Here’s a look at what we can expect in the Wilmington area, according to the latest briefing from the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Wind
The probability of tropical storm force winds has increased, especially for the South Carolina coast. The most likely time of arrival of for northeast South Carolina is Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and for Southeastern North Carolina is during Wednesday morning.
Rain
The potential for significant rainfall exists with 8 to 12 inches possible from near Cape Fear to portions of thenortheast South Carolina coast. Flash flooding and urban flooding are possible. Some rivers, including the North Cape Fear River and the Waccamaw River, could exceed flood stage next week.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Enter your address to see hurricanes, tropical storms that have passed nearby
Marine impacts
Rough surf, including dangerous rip currents, and hazardous marine conditions are expected this weekend and will persist into the upcoming week.
Are you prepared for a hurricane?
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Even if this system won’t pose a threat to the NC coast, it’s never too early to be prepared.
GET READY: Are you prepared for a hurricane? Here’s what to know if you live in the Wilmington area.
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