The Badgers cornerback hasn’t been able to enter the transfer portal.
The Wisconsin Badgers have a transfer portal dilemma, only it’s not the one fans were necessarily expecting.
Star freshman cornerback Xavier Lucas issued a public statement on Friday, revealing that he still plans to enter the transfer portal, but that Wisconsin has been blocking his transfer and refusing to release him into the portal.
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.
— Xavier Lucas (@XavierL_25) December 27, 2024
With him not officially being in the portal, Lucas cannot officially talk with other schools just yet, leaving the cornerback in a tough situation currently.
The Badgers cornerback shared that he would be entering the transfer portal on December 19th, which provided Wisconsin with its biggest blow of the offseason yet, as Lucas was projected to be a starter opposite of Ricardo Hallman in 2025.
As a true freshman, Lucas played in 10 games, allowing just a 47.4 percent catch rate and a passer rating of 65.0, which was the second-lowest among qualified defenders on the team only to Max Lofy.
The Badgers had a major recruiting win when initially getting Lucas as a four-star recruit, beating out the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles and poaching him from his home state of Florida.
But, the question was always whether the Badgers could keep a talent like Lucas in today’s era of college football. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case, although there hasn’t been a resolve to the situation yet.