Oops! Did the college football take Kirk Herbstreit’s call for change too seriously? Well, the ESPN College GameDay host stated how things have changed in college football. According to him, NIL and the pay-for-play system should not be there. But it looks like college football is doing its own thing, making its own rules.

As per the sources, the former defensive back Xavier Lucas had been forced to go through tough times. And who made it difficult for him? His former team, the Wisconsin Badgers. Now, here is some tough legal battle awaiting the program. 

At the end of the day, as per the NCAA ruling, college football programs can not determine whether or not their player will stay or leave. It’s absolutely the athlete’s decision. Now Lucas was a 4-star prospect who played for Wisconsin. As per the 247Sports’ composite rankings, the defensive tackle was ranked as the No. 35 safety in the 2024 recruiting class.

During the 2024 season, Lucas appeared in 12 games. As per his stats, he racked up 18 tackles, two tackles for loss, two passes defensed, and one interception. However, he thought of swapping wagons this transfer season. But poor Lucas! Even though he made it to the Miami Hurricanes, he could not enter the portal. Here is a brief timeline of events.

On December 19, Lucas announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. As reported by analyst Ross Dellenger, the defensive tackle had signed a two-year revenue share agreement in early December. When matters went outside his hands, Lucas then drew attention by making a public statement on December 27, informing that Wisconsin was ‘refusing to release’ him.

He tweeted, “I still intend to transfer, but at the moment Wisconsin is refusing to release me into the transfer portal. I’ve met all NCAA requirements of the transfer portal process. I’ve yet to be put into the transfer portal by Wisconsin which is impeding my ability to speak with schools.”

By the time all these incidents started to take shape, the winter window was closed on December 28. Even after that, the Badgers had stuck to their decision to not let go of their athlete. After which, on January 7, Lucas hired a Florida-based attorney who quickly threatened legal action against Wisconsin.

Amidst the events, the player and his family reportedly went to HC Luke Fickell pleading him to reconsider his decision. But all the efforts went in vain. Now did the Badgers abide by the NCAA ruling while forcefully stopping the defensive tackle?

Is Xavier Lucas in trouble? 

Definitely not! In Dellenger’s tweet, we find the statement that the NCAA provided Yahoo Sports. It read, “NCAA rules do not prevent a student-athlete from enrolling from an institution, enrolling at a new institution, and competing immediately.” Now that Wisconsin blocked Lucas from hitting the transfer portal, he had to make the move. The athlete withdrew from classes at the Badgers hood and got academically enrolled at Miami. It’s presumed that he had bypassed NCAA transfer rules by not formally signing with the Hurricanes.

However, it does not land Lucas in legal trouble but rather the Badgers. As Dellenger reported, the athlete’s attorney had planned to file suit against both the NCAA and Wisconsin over antitrust claims. Along with this, he accused the football program of blatantly violating NCAA rules. After all, schools have 48 hours to enter a player’s name into the portal after receiving notice of their intent to transfer. Lucas is at no fault here since athletes cannot enter their own names.

Eventually, notable sports attorney Darren Heitner got involved with Xavier Lucas’ case. On January 9, he tweeted, “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. Wisconsin can easily do the right thing and place him in the transfer portal. The silence on their end is deafening.” 

Lucas signed a revenue-sharing deal with Wisconsin, letting them use his name and image for marketing. But it also means he could owe them money if he leaves. This got complicated because a new law might allow schools to share money with players, but it doesn’t start until July 1st if it’s approved in April. If it doesn’t pass, Wisconsin may not be able to enforce the agreement. It’s a messy situation. Lucas is stuck; Wisconsin’s in potential legal hot water, and this could set a big precedent for future transfer disputes.