UNC still waiting for an NCAA decision on one football player’s eligibility status
North Carolina is still waiting to hear from the NCAA on whether Auburn transfer cornerback Cam’Ron Kelly will be eligible for the 2019 season.
Kelly, a 6-1, 203-pound freshman, initially enrolled at Auburn in January. He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school at Oscar Smith in Chesapeake, Va.
But he decided to transfer to UNC in April to be closer to home. He said he had to deal with personal matters involving the health of his mother and sister.
UNC applied for a waiver to the NCAA for Kelly to be eligible immediately, but has not yet heard back. UNC plays its season-opener against South Carolina less than a week from now, on Saturday.
If the waiver is denied, Kelly would have to sit out a year, according to the NCAA’s transfer rules.
“We hope to hear something final any day,” UNC coach Mack Brown said Monday. “And we’re not able to coach him. He’s been on the gray team for the last four or five days because we can’t coach a guy that we don’t know is even going to be on the bus going to Charlotte Friday.”
Efforts to reach a spokesperson at the NCAA in time for publication of this story were unsuccessful.
Kelly would add much needed depth to a young secondary, which lost some key players from last year’s team. UNC senior Patrice Rene has locked up one of the starting cornerback spots. However, the ACC suspended him at the end of last season for his involvement in a fight at the end of the UNC’s game against N.C. State on Nov. 24, 2018.
He will have to sit out for one half against South Carolina.
UNC currently lists sophomore Tre Morrison as the other starting cornerback on its depth chart. Morrison played nickelback last season. The coaching staff had him play outside corner in fall camp to provide depth.
As a freshman last season, Morrison was one of UNC’s better players. He appeared in all 11 games, and started 10 at nickelback. He recorded 46 tackles, two sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and four pass breakups. But the staff would rather start him at nickelback, which is his natural position.
When asked about Kelly’s situation, UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman smiled, choosing his words carefully. He said he tries not to worry about things that “might happen.”
“I try not to chase ghosts,” Bateman said. “If and when they tell me Cam Kelly is eligible, then we’ll put him where we think is best for him.
“I think Cam Kelly is a good player. I hope he gets eligible. That will pep me up. But until that point, we’re handling it like we don’t think he’s going to be eligible.”
UNC vs. South Carolina
When: 3:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Watch: ESPN
This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 3:06 PM.
