Former American Heritage standout reportedly transferring to Miami without entering portal

After nearly a month-long clash with his former school, Xavier Lucas, a highly touted cornerback out of Plantation American Heritage, has finally transferred from Wisconsin — and is heading home in the process.

Lucas’ attorney, Darren Heitner, told Yahoo Sports that Lucas is leaving Wisconsin for Miami despite not formally entering the transfer portal. Lucas, who just finished his freshman season and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining, has withdrawn from classes at Wisconsin and enrolled academically at Miami, per the report.

The NCAA said in a statement to Yahoo that its rules “do not prevent a student-athlete from unenrolling from an institution, enrolling at a new institution and competing immediately.”

It’s the latest development in Lucas’ saga that began on Dec. 19 when he originally announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal, which Heitner told Yahoo was because his father was dealing with a “serious, life-threatening illness.”

More than a week passed, and Lucas’ name wasn’t entered into the portal. The NCAA mandates that a school has to enter a player’s name into the transfer portal withing 48 hours of the player filling out the paperwork.

“At the moment, Wisconsin is refusing to release me into the transfer portal,” Lucas wrote on social media on Dec. 27, eight days after his initial announcement about transferring. “I’ve met all NCAA requirements of the transfer portal by Wisconsin which is impeding my ability to speak with schools.”

When Wisconsin didn’t, it started a protracted standoff between Lucas and the school.

At the center of the issue, according to Yahoo: Lucas signed a revenue-sharing agreement that is supposed to bind him to Wisconsin for two years while giving the school exclusive use of his name, image and likeness. That agreement, according to Yahoo, also prohibits another school from using his NIL. However, the agreement is contingent on the approval of the NCAA’s settlement in the House antitrust case, a lawsuit settlement that will pave the way for schools to directly compensate athletes. However, a decision on the House settlement isn’t expected until April and wouldn’t go into effect until July 1.

In 11 games for Wisconsin, Lucas recorded 18 tackles, one interception and three defended passes. Lucas was a Miami Herald first-team All-County football selection as a senior at American Heritage and was also a standout sprinter and long jumper on the Patriots’ track and field team.

He is the fourth cornerback the Hurricanes are adding via transfer this cycle, joining Michigan State’s Charles Brantley, Arizona’s Emmanuel Karnley and Washington State’s Ethan O’Connor. Jacksonville State safety Zechariah Poyser rounds out the Hurricanes’ transfer additions in the secondary.

Lucas, Karnley, O’Connor and Poyser all have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Brantley has one season left.

Overall, Miami has added 13 transfers this cycle, seven of whom are ranked among the top 100 transfers available by 247Sports in quarterback Carson Beck (No. 1), Lucas (No. 25), defensive lineman David Blay (No. 28), wide receiver CJ Daniels (No. 67), Karnley (No. 82), Poyser (No. 85) and Brantley (No. 100).