Big Ten Issues Statement as Xavier Lucas’ Miami Move Spells Major Trouble for Mario Cristobal

Two years ago, Michigan was embroiled in a massive controversy regarding the alleged poaching of players during the ‘dead period,’ which prohibited coaches from contacting players. The acts resulted in heavy scrutiny from the media and fans alike, but when it came to any solid action? The NCAA has not shown any willingness to address the issue. A similar incident, as alleged by a Big 10 program, occurred when their player, Xavier Lucas, transferred to Miami after being denied the opportunity to enter the transfer portal. Now the program is out to set a precedent, and the Big 10? The conference is backing the move and has come out with a powerful statement.

On December 2, 2024, Lucas had signed a two-year revenue-sharing deal with the Wisconsin Badgers before the approval of the House v NCAA settlement. The deal was set to come into effect on July 1st, 2025, and initially, it had “substantial financial compensation” attached to it. However, the deal came crashing down for Wisconsin after the player requested to transfer. The program denied listing Lucas in the transfer portal, but Lucas went with it anyway.

As per reports, Lucas initially withdrew from the classes at Wisconsin and later enrolled at Miami in January 2025, without having entered the transfer portal. Wisconsin, on the other hand, alleged poaching on the part of Miami, and this has been the stance of the Big 10 program ever since. However, recently, Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against Miami to set a landmark precedent, seeking unspecified damages and accountability from Miami. The Big 10 has now released a statement supporting the move.

“The Big Ten Conference is aware of the litigation recently filed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison against the University of Miami and is supportive of UW-Madison’s position. As alleged, the University of Miami knowingly ignored contractual obligations and disregarded the principle of competitive equity that is fundamental to collegiate athletics. The Big Ten Conference believes that the University of Miami’s actions are irreconcilable with a sustainable college sports framework and is supportive of UW-Madison’s efforts to preserve it,” Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports posted Big10’s statement on his X account. The move has a massive consequence for Miami in their future aspirations.

Before the lawsuit, Miami was one of the top candidates to join the Big 10 conference due to its significant media market and national brand of college football. And Miami, too, was reportedly looking to join the conference to follow other programs like USC, UCLA, and Oregon. It would have made the Big 10 more lucrative and would have promised Miami a chunk of the $7 billion media deal, guaranteeing almost $75 million per year as opposed to $40 million, which they get in the ACC. But now, with the Big 10’s firm stance against the program, and the relationship souring, the move might not be on the cards anytime soon. But why, the lawsuit needed to be filed in the first place?

NCAA, Wisconsin, Miami, Xavier Lucas, and the battle of the courtrooms

The NCAA rules prohibit programs from tampering with players, but the regulator hasn’t done anything substantial to tackle the issue. The lawsuit was thus filed by Wisconsin, citing the breach of contract that was signed between them and Xavier Lucas. So, the lawsuit might not entirely deal with the poaching issue, but instead draw tortious liability from Miami. It is to be noted, however, that the program is not taking any action against Xavier Lucas, and the player has been excluded from the lawsuit. So, it is likely looking to be a battle of courtrooms and settlements between just Miami and Wisconsin. As for the NCAA? It had given its stance!

“NCAA rules do not prevent a student-athlete from unenrolling from an institution, enrolling at a new institution, and competing immediately,” said an NCAA spokesperson to Yahoo Sports. While Wisconsin maintains that Miami had “impermissible” contact with Lucas even before he joined Miami. “We have credible information indicating impermissible contact between Xavier and the University of Miami football program personnel prior to Xavier’s request to enter the transfer portal.” The verdict?

Earlier, too, we have seen courts stepping in place of the NCAA and ruling against the NCAA bylaws. For instance, in the earlier case of Ohio v NCAA, the judge allowed players to join another program without sitting out a year at their new school. The case had far-reaching implications, and now with Wisconsin’s lawsuit, we could most expectedly see a legal precedent involving poaching coming in, considering the House v NCAA settlement had now been approved.