Wisconsin football cornerback transfers to long-rumored destination
Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Xavier Lucas is headed to Miami, as expected. The only problem is that he never entered the transfer portal.
A highly unusual transfer process involving the University of Wisconsin football team appears to have reached a conclusion, at least for now.
In a potentially groundbreaking decision, former Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Xavier Lucas has enrolled at the University of Miami without officially entering the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report. This resolution could potentially set a precedent for player movement in college sports moving forward.
Lucas, a former four-star recruit from American Heritage High School in South Florida, played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2024, recording 18 tackles, three pass breakups, and an interception in 203 defensive snaps.
According to Pro Football Focus, Lucas graded out in the 97th percentile nationally in coverage and the 96th percentile, specifically at outside cornerback, all while maintaining a missed tackle rate of just 6.3%.
However, his time in Madison came to a controversial and abrupt end when Wisconsin refused to place his name in the transfer portal after he announced his decision to move on from the program in mid-December.
“Let’s clear something up. Xavier Lucas owes Wisconsin NOTHING. The school is holding him hostage. It’s disgusting, illegal, and will be crushing for recruiting,” wrote Darren Heitner on X.
“Wisconsin can easily do the right thing and place him in the transfer portal. The silence on their end is deafening.”
Lucas, according to his attorney, sought a transfer from Wisconsin after learning of a life-threatening illness affecting his father. Despite submitting a formal transfer request, Lucas was denied entry into the portal, preventing him from communicating with other schools.
This decision to prevent his transfer stemmed from a revenue-sharing agreement Lucas signed last month, a 2-year contract with Wisconsin that ties players to their current schools and prohibits their name, image, and likeness rights from being used by other programs.
Frustrated by the lack of action taken by his former program, Lucas unenrolled from Wisconsin and began classes at Miami. While Lucas has not formally signed with Miami’s football program, this step allows him to bypass traditional transfer restrictions, at least for now.
“This has been an act of desperation for Xavier and his family,” Heitner said, adding that Lucas and his family even reached out to Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell last week, only to be met with attempts to convince the 6-foot-2 cornerback to stay with the Badgers.
Notably, University of Wisconsin officials have yet to respond to the allegations involving Lucas publicly.
“Wisconsin was playing checkers while we were playing chess,” said Heitner.
The dispute highlights growing tensions over the validity of revenue-sharing agreements, which could become enforceable starting July 2025 if the NCAA’s settlement in the House antitrust case is approved.
The outcome of Lucas’s situation could influence future legal challenges surrounding these contracts and further reshape the transfer landscape.
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