Victory Vaka, a 335-pound defensive lineman who stands 6-foot-3, is suing the NCAA for a chance at one final college football season after losing his scholarship at Western Kentucky University in the weeks following his mother's death. The senior, who arrived at WKU in January after previous stops at Texas Southern, Northern Arizona and College of the Canyons, argues in newly filed Tennessee court papers that an administrative label, not misconduct, cost him his last year of eligibility.
Attorney Darren Heitner filed a verified complaint and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and injunction in the Chancery Court for Rutherford County, Tennessee, asking a judge to force the NCAA to let Vaka sign and play for the college program of his choosing, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. Heitner posted a statement about the lawsuit on X today, saying Vaka lost his final season because the NCAA refused to consider the facts of his case.
A Disciplinary Label Blocks the Transfer Portal
Vaka's mother, Sarah Mataele, died on April 2, and WKU flew him home and allowed him to finish the spring semester remotely, where he posted a 3.33 GPA, according to Athletic Business. The university canceled his scholarship on May 27, after her funeral on May 9, but instead of processing the move as a standard aid cancellation, WKU classified his absence as a failure to report, a disciplinary tag that automatically blocked the transfer exemption he otherwise would have qualified for, per the WKU Herald.
The Courier Journal's reporting details a WKU assistant coach calling Vaka nine days before the funeral to tell him to be back in Bowling Green by June, and his position coach texting him on May 26 to ask where he was. Vaka says he stayed in contact with the university throughout and had planned all along to return to WKU for the 2026 season.
No Spring Window Left to Escape Through
When WKU's compliance staff submitted a Legislative Relief Waiver asking the NCAA to grant Vaka portal access anyway, the NCAA denied it in a single sentence, the WKU Herald reports. The organization later rejected his appeal without calling or interviewing him, requiring Vaka instead to submit written statements arguing against his own university's disciplinary designation.
The denial carried more weight than it might have in past years because the NCAA eliminated the spring transfer portal window for Division I football starting in the 2025-26 academic year, according to NCSA. With the portal closed, Vaka sought a waiver after his aid was pulled in the spring.
WKU Cites Roster Timing, Not Misconduct
WKU Chief of Staff Travis Taylor told TotalProSports that the scholarship non-renewal came down to roster timing and Vaka's two months away from campus, saying the program expected mature communication. Head coach Tyson Helton had not set a firm return date when Vaka left campus, according to the same outlet. Taylor described Vaka as a good kid and said there was no ill will behind the decision, per the Courier Journal.
Vaka was a former three-star Class of 2021 recruit who played at College of the Canyons before spending 2024 at Northern Arizona and 2025 at Texas Southern, according to WKU Athletics. He took part in WKU's offseason workouts and spring practice after transferring in January, and multiple programs have since expressed interest in signing him.
Why No Other Program Can Simply Sign Him
Even with interested suitors, Vaka's ability to join another FBS program remains subject to NCAA transfer rules. On April 1, the NCAA Division I Cabinet adopted automatic penalties for off-window transfers, imposing a 50% season suspension on head coaches and a 20% budget fine on programs that add uncleared transfer players, according to Jackson Lewis. Heitner has said his legal team contacted the NCAA almost daily in hopes of avoiding litigation, and that the organization could have resolved the matter but did not, per the Courier Journal. He has also said the facts of Vaka's case are unique enough that he does not expect the lawsuit to trigger copycat filings.
The roster pressure behind cases like Vaka's traces back to the House v. NCAA settlement, approved in June 2025, which replaced traditional scholarship limits with hard roster caps starting in the 2025-26 season, according to the College Sports Litigation Tracker. According to the NCAA, the Division I Board of Directors adopted additional roster-limit changes on Jun 23, 2025, to implement the court-approved House settlement. Those caps have pushed coaches to trim rosters aggressively after spring practice, right as players like Vaka are trying to find their footing. According to NCAA data, 554,298 student-athletes participated in championship sports in 2024-25, an all-time high.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Court Fights
Vaka's suit comes amid broader litigation over college-athlete eligibility. The suit includes an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and injunction.
