Wisconsin Football Fights Back: How Suing Miami Could Create New Recruiting Rules

Previously, the Wisconsin football staff landed three-star defensive back Xavier Lucas in the 2024 recruiting class which was a major win for the program at the time. Lucas was considered to be one of the most underrated recruits coming out of the state of Florida at the time, and Wisconsin managing to sign Lucas was huge considering the other programs fighting for the recruit. Many felt the landing was a fluke, but alongside hard work from the coaching staff to get Lucas to commit was a lucrative, multi-year NIL contract.

Originally, the intent of NIL deals was to have players become brand ambassadors for major companies such as Gatorade, Nike, and many other household names. However, the deals quickly evolved into direct payments to players that abide by many of the loose rules surrounding paying players.

Wisconsin accuses Miami staff of directing “representatives” to speak with Lucas and offer a larger deal, which included an added bonus if the defensive back entered the transfer portal. Wisconsin accuses the Miami “representatives” of speaking with Lucas before the recruit entered the transfer portal and encouraging the recruit to both enter the portal and join the Miami program.

Where the Wisconsin football program truly feels the pain is not in the loss of talent, but rather in the wallet as Lucas left town with money in hand. Wisconsin paid Lucas under the impression that the recruit would stay with the program for multiple years, which he did not. The lawsuit alleges Miami committed tortious interference by persuading Lucas to end his contractual obligations with Wisconsin.

What Does the Wisconsin Football Lawsuit Versus Miami Mean For College Football?

While some may feel that the lawsuit is a money grab or the Badgers escalating the situation for various reasons, Wisconsin has filed the suit in hopes of upholding the “overall integrity” of college athletics.

Wisconsin officials admittedly filed the lawsuit reluctantly, but feel there is a need to force integrity and honesty upon college football at this time. Starting July 1st, teams will be allowed to pay players directly via NIL deals, which very well could affect how the engagement between Lucas and Miami is viewed.

NIL payments are still an unknown as the do’s and don’t of paying players are not fully defined yet, nor have the practices been. The lawsuit will truly question whether or not NIL payments can become a bargaining chip for programs when trying to retain players. The Wisconsin football staff does not have the biggest budget, and having to consistently battle programs with money to spare in order to keep a talented roster is something the staff feels is unfair and forces the playing field to shift.

The exact result of the lawsuit is clearly still a major question mark, but what the lawsuit could potentially do is alter how contracts are offered to student athletes. Wisconsin alleges Lucas was offered a multi-year contract that had language binding the athlete to solely playing football and only football for Wisconsin specifically. The lawsuit alleges Wisconsin football program had enough reason to believe Lucas would remain a part of the team until his contractual obligations were fulfilled.

Perhaps the most interesting question that arises as the lawsuit has been announced involves the NIL rights of each player. Since the Wisconsin football staff cannot pay Lucas to be a player on the team, the program can only pay for the NIL rights of Lucas. Currently, it is unclear if owning the NIL rights of a player can actually dictate where the athlete plays college football.