Senior defensive lineman Victory Vaka took time away to grieve the unexpected passing of his mother, only to lose his scholarship.
Victory Vaka attended his mom's funeral on May 9. Weeks later, Western Kentucky canceled his scholarship.
Now, multiple FBS teams want to sign him — but NCAA rules won't let him portal because of how WKU classified his departure
It could end his careerhttps://t.co/cD2M5EJLvo pic.twitter.com/cnv33Jj9D0
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) July 14, 2026
The Western Kentucky defensive lineman missed workouts for his mom’s funeral and now can’t play this season because WKU processed his departure as a “failure to report.”
The worst part is that the specific tag trapped him in a nightmare scenario. It blocks him from using normal NCAA transfer exemptions, meaning he can’t just enter the portal and finish his final season of eligibility somewhere else.
Our advice to Vaka: Lawyer up ASAP.
