In a move that had been expected for weeks, Xavier Lucas finally transferred from Wisconsin to play for the Miami Hurricanes. However, Lucas never entered the portal, left Madison and ended up enrolling at Miami all on his own. What in the world?
In case you missed it from over the weekend, that's exactly what happened, as the Badgers never submitted Lucas' paperwork for him to enter the portal. The star cornerback hired legal representation and decided to make the move on his own.
It didn't take long for Wisconsin to issue a statement, with them firing back at both Lucas and Miami. Countless headlines were written with Wisconsin accusing Miami of tampering with Lucas, saying they also have evidence staff members from the Canes were in contact with him when they weren't supposed to be. Whoa:
Wisconsin issues statement on the Xavier Lucas situation, saying their contract with Lucas is enforceable. Also says tampering from Miami was involved. #Badgers pic.twitter.com/OPiBBx55Z7
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) January 18, 2025
Wisconsin accusing Miami of tampering has Canes fans all over the place upset
“We have credible information indicating impermissible contact between Xavier and University of Miami football program personnel prior to Xavier’s request to enter the transfer portal,” Wisconsin said in its statement. “Direct interference with another institution’s committed player and contractual interests is prohibited by NCAA tampering rules and the law."
By issuing that message as part of their statement, Wisconsin is fully accusing Miami of being cheaters and not following the rules. Not only that, but it's a direct shot at the way Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal runs his program.
You think he likes seeing this? Not at all. A quick look on social media shows that college football fans across the country are blasting Cristobal and Miami, with some claiming that this is the kind of 'culture' the program has had for a while and that they need to be punished for it.
Lucas reportedly signed a rev-share deal with Wisconsin, but he changed his mind and decided that he wanted to return to his home state and play for Miami instead. His attorney Darren Heitner has been active in saying Lucas did nothing wrong, doing his best to prove Wisconsin doesn't have much of a case here.
Wisconsin and the Big Ten seem to be confused about the House v NCAA settlement agreement that has not yet been finally approved and won’t be until April 7, at the earliest.
— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) January 19, 2025
“The Court must give final approval to the settlement before it can take effect … The settlement also… pic.twitter.com/VbkOSBcAr3
For now, Lucas is on campus in Miami taking classes. Soon enough, he'll get ready for his first spring camp with his new teammates. However, the Badgers are ready to try and prevent that from happening. This drama could end up just getting started, but overall it has provided Miami with a bit of a proverbial black eye due to the accusations - Cristobal has every right to be fuming over it.