ACC
Big Ten Issues Strong Statement Against ACC Program

The Big Ten took a serious shot at Miami on Saturday in the wake of Wisconsin cornerback Xavier Lucas deciding to leave the Badgers for the Hurricanes.
Lucas is in the middle of a dispute that could have a long-lasting impact on the entire landscape of college football. Lucas was denied entry to the transfer portal by Wisconsin and decided to withdraw from the university and enroll at Miami. And since he didn’t sign with the Hurricanes, he avoided legal filings.
But Wisconsin accused Miami of tampering, since Lucas signed an agreement with Wisconsin Athletics, and the Big Ten backed its member school.
“The Big Ten Conference stands in full support of the University of Wisconsin regarding the contractual agreement between student-athlete Xavier Lucas and the Wisconsin football program.
“As student-athletes become active participants in revenue sharing, it is critical that agreed-to obligations be respected, honored, and enforced. In light of current laws and association rules, information suggesting tampering and contact interference in this case by the University of Miami is very troubling. These actions undermine the efforts of its own conference as the ACC continues its collaboration with the other A4 conferences in developing a sustainable framework for college sports.
“This situation is just the latest example of the critical need for substantive government reform.”
A statement from the Big Ten. pic.twitter.com/lPi1WLMmQ1
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) January 19, 2025
Tampering runs rampant in the current world of college athletics, and with the NCAA’s recent track record, it doesn’t seem likely that much will come from this transfer situation.
The situation between Lucas and Wisconsin raises the question as to whether the NCAA is able to enforce any sort of transfer rules.
“NCAA rules do not prevent a student-athlete from unenrolling from an institution, enrolling at a new institution and competing immediately,” the NCAA said in a statement to Yahoo! Sports.
As it stands, a player must enter the transfer portal during a designation transfer portal window in order to connect with coaches from new schools. Schools are not permitted to communicate with players who are not on the portal. But the Lucas case could set a ground-breaking precedence in the event legal action takes place.
It’s a fluid situation, as revenue sharing in college athletics is still dependent on a settlement between the NCAA and the House in April, but it’s expected to begin on July 1 — up to $20.5 million.
It’s the end of the NCAA’s amateurism model, as players will be directly compensated by their respective schools, but it doesn’t stop there. The long-term impact includes scholarship and roster changes and a new way NIL will be implemented. And even the distribution is dependent on Title IX guidelines from the Department of Education.
The NCAA, in conjunction with the four Power commissioners (plus the Pac-12), released a statement last year.
“The five autonomy conferences and the NCAA agreeing to settlement terms is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come. This settlement is also a road map for college sports leaders and Congress to ensure this uniquely American institution can continue to provide unmatched opportunity for millions of students. All of Division I made today’s progress possible, and we all have work to do to implement the terms of the agreement as the legal process continues. We look forward to working with our various student-athlete leadership groups to write the next chapter of college sports.”
