Western Kentucky University has canceled the scholarship of senior defensive lineman Victory Vaka two months after his mother died suddenly, an action Vaka described as "inhumane." Vaka, who transferred from Texas Southern, lost his mother on April 2 and returned home to grieve.

He had planned to return to Western Kentucky for the 2026 season. An assistant strength coach provided Vaka with a workout program and indicated he was expected back in June. However, when Vaka was not present by May 26, the university's chief of staff, Travis Taylor, informed him that his scholarship was being canceled the following day.

"I was shocked," Vaka told CBS Sports. The university also processed Vaka as a "failure to report," which prevents him from entering the NCAA's transfer portal under an exemption for aid reduction or cancellation. The NCAA subsequently denied Vaka's legislative relief waiver.

This leaves Vaka with one semester remaining to graduate but no avenue to transfer and use his final year of eligibility. He expressed disillusionment with the coaching staff, stating, "When some of these coaches say they care, they really don’t."

Vaka, a 6-foot-3, 335-pound player, mentioned that head coach Tyson Helton had not provided a specific return timeline and had indicated he would support Vaka's decision to play elsewhere, closer to his home in Hollywood, California. Vaka felt the university might have been looking for an opportunity to replace him.

"I didn’t want to leave Western Kentucky, but I had to be back at home," Vaka said. "[Helton] asked me, ‘If you don’t come back out here, I’m not going to blame you.’ That kind of caught me off guard."

Vaka believes the situation escalated due to a lack of clear communication, citing the assistant strength coach's expectation of his return in June while the university considered his absence a failure to report. "In my mind, they were giving me the whole month of May off," Vaka added.

Jaykwon Jefferson, Vaka's agent, stated that several FBS schools would be interested in signing Vaka if he were able to enter the transfer portal. Taylor, however, defended the university's decision, citing business reasons and Vaka's expected readiness to play after a two-month absence from the team. "We pay them all this money and tell them, ‘All right, now we expect you to be an adult and communicate and do all the things that adults do,'" Taylor said, according to CBS.

On the day of his mother's death, Vaka posted a tribute on Instagram, expressing his love and grief. In 2025, Vaka recorded 12 tackles across nine games for Texas Southern.