NCAA clears 7-foot-6 UCF freshman Tacko Fall

According to ESPN, the 7-foot-6 center from Senegal has indeed been granted the waiver that he and a lot of other people were looking for and he’ll be able to take the floor when UCF plays Davidson on Saturday evening.

Fall, an African native, came to the states a few years ago, and was ruled ineligible by the NCAA, despite graduating with a 3.6 GPA from Liberty Christian in Tavares.

Fall’s eligibility was in doubt after the NCAA stopped him from participating in practices while it reviewed his academic record.

“I am very thankful for the support from UCF, Dr. Hitt, my family and the media”, Fall said in a statement.

Fall, who is an engineering major at UCF, has not been allowed to compete with the men’s basketball team during scrimmages or games this fall because his high school coursework has not been certified by the NCAA.

Earlier this week, UCF filed for an academic waiver with the NCAA to allow Fall to play.

The NCAA declined to comment when the Orlando Sentinel inquired about Fall’s status Monday. However, Liberty Christian released a statement on Thursday saying the NCAA had informed the school on April 15 that its core classes had been approved. We are so grateful to everyone, ” Wettstein tweeted shortly after hearing the news. Administrators say there was no indication at that time Fall’s future academic standing would be in jeopardy.

“We are excited for Tacko and his family that he has been given the opportunity to pursue his dream as a student-athlete”, said UCF head coach Donnie Jones.