North Carolina freshman transfer Cam'Ron Kelly has been ruled immediately eligible and will be available to play in the Tar Heels opener against South Carolina on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN).
God is good. Just got great news. I'm playing this year. Thanks to everyone that supported me including my family, coaches, teammates and especially our compliance department. Now it's time to go to work. 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/BVN8vXOgvF
— Cam'Ron Kelly (@CamRonJKelly) August 28, 2019
Kelly, a 4-star recruit out of Chesapeake, Virginia, had enrolled at Auburn in January but decided in April to transfer to be closer to home, citing family health problems.
North Carolina applied for a waiver so Kelly would not have to sit for a year because of NCAA transfer rules.
"So excited for @CamRonJKelly," North Carolina coach Mack Brown said in a tweet. "He handled this process so well and got the outcome he deserved."
Kelly was No. 224 on ESPN's list of top 300 recruits.
Kelly will give the thin Carolina secondary some depth. Patrice Rene, one of the Tar Heels' starting corners, has been suspended for the first half of Saturday's game because on his involvement in a fight at the end of UNC's rivalry game with NC State last season.