Former Badger Xavier Lucas doesn't have any fans left in Madison, but there are still plenty who are curious to see how his career ends. Now, an injury has derailed his third season (second in Miami). He's a player with a ton of upside and came to Wisconsin as a 4-star recruit after showing a lot of promise.
In his freshman season, Miami illegally recruited him, signed him, and then Lucas and his lawyer created a new way to transfer. It was a legit mess and sent Wisconsin into court battles with the University of Miami.
Last season wasn't the breakout year that Lucas was expecting, but he did have a decent run at it. He had 45 tackles, one interception, and one sack. PFF had him rated as a 76.4 in coverage. Not elite and nothing to write home about. In fact, you could argue that his season in Wisconsin was better; sure, his tackling totals were lower (but elite corners don't always record a ton of tackles). At Wisconsin, he had 18 tackles, one sack, and one interception. PFF had him with a coverage grade of 81.2.
Thus, he was gearing up for year two in Miami, his junior season, and it's going worse. In the first game of the season against Stanford, Lucas left due to injury and was out against FAMU last night.
When asked about Lucas' absence post-game, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said, "Xavier got hurt last game, and he’s going to miss approximately a month, and hopefully, that’ll be it, and we’ll get him back.” Not great news for Lucas.
The update on Xavier Lucas: out about a month.
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) September 11, 2026
The Hurricanes' CB depth will be tested a bit during that time.https://t.co/31ICh29fd4
Xavier Lucas is not having the Miami experience he was hoping for after leaving Wisconsin
Related: Former Badger Cade Yacamelli’s decision to transfer immediately backfired on him
Hindsight is a wild thing, and we all live with it. Looking back, realizing we should have made choices differently or chosen a different route. Who knows what Lucas is thinking right now, but there's no doubt his Miami career isn't going to plan. His time in Miami hasn't been all sunshine and roses, no matter how much money Cristobal paid him to play for the Hurricanes.
It's been full of lawsuits and scrutiny to start, and then a mediocre year in which he didn't become the star lockdown cornerback that many thought he was capable of. But maybe his junior year would be something special, and yet now he's going to miss close to half the season due to injury.
No one roots for injuries, or at least they shouldn't, but Wisconsin fans don't hate that things aren't going to plan. There is frustration and resentment towards Miami and Lucas through it all. Even the Fire Fickell crowd took Fickell's side on this one; it's a rare moment in which Badger fans were all equally frustrated at a player.
Even though it's a year removed, Lucas is still a player that many are curious about and will casually check on. Well, you don't have to do that for at least a month.
Add us as a preferred source on Google