BYU football: NCAA denies request for former USC linebacker

PROVO — BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall announced Friday that an NCAA waiver submitted on behalf of junior linebacker Uona Kaveinga was denied.

BYU has submitted an appeal. The waiver asked that the USC transfer be allowed to play this season without having to sit out a year after his transfer.

"We received word today that the requested waiver for Uona was denied," Mendenhall said in a statement. "We have submitted an appeal and expect a final decision within the next two weeks."

Kaveinga transferred to BYU in January and participated in spring drills. This summer, the NCAA handed down sanctions against USC. As part of those sanctions, the NCAA ruled that USC freshmen and sophomores could transfer to another school without having to sit out the mandatory one year.

Mendenhall also announced that freshman wide receiver Jordan Smith will not join the team until January. Meanwhile, junior defensive end Matt Putnam and senior linebacker Jordan Atkinson will miss the first few practices for academic and personal reasons. Both are expected to start practicing next week.

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