NASHVILLE – In the midst of the NCAA’s annual convention, and in a potential precedent-setting move, a football player transfers to another institution without entering the transfer portal and after signing a revenue-sharing contract with his school former.
Former Wisconsin defenseman Xavier Lucas, who was denied entry into the portal by the University of Washington after requesting a transfer, will leave the school for Miami, his attorney Darren Heitner told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday, a groundbreaking move that may have significant ramifications.
The situation is about to set a precedent, both in the ability of schools to enforce revenue-sharing agreements that depend on the passage of the House agreement and, perhaps more importantly, for players to transfer at any time. moment, even outside the portal windows or without entering. the portal at all.
Lucas, a freshman last season, withdrew from classes at Wisconsin and enrolled academically at Miami. By not formally signing with Miami, he presumably circumvents NCAA transfer rules. He enrolled for the fall 2025 semester but is expected to reclassify for spring 2025.
The measure, for now, avoids a legal filing. Heitner had planned to file a lawsuit against the NCAA and Wisconsin over antitrust claims related to the situation, accusing Wisconsin of blatantly violating NCAA rules by not inserting Lucas’ name into the portal as requested and questioning the legality of the portal. NCAA transfers.
Wisconsin officials have been silent on the situation. However, the school refuses to include Lucas in the portal, as he signed a two-year revenue-sharing agreement last month before requesting a transfer.
The agreement, a model form issued by the Big Ten, binds Lucas, and all players who sign, to that specific school and grants that school a player’s non-exclusive rights to use and market his name, image and likeness. The agreement prohibits the player’s rights from being used by any other school and allows him to sign outside qualifying agreements, according to those familiar with the model.
Breaking the agreement could trigger litigation from Wisconsin to Lucas and/or Miami.
luke, who Signed last year as a Rivals four-star high school prospect from South Florida, played in 11 games with 18 tackles in 2024. He requested a transfer after learning, while home on vacation, that his father was suffering from a “serious, life-threatening illness,” according to Heitner. The school has refused to follow NCAA protocol that requires institutions to honor a player’s transfer request by submitting his name to the portal within two business days.
To make a transfer, a player must submit a transfer request within the transfer portal window designated for their sport. Entering the portal is necessary as it allows schools to contact and communicate with players. Schools are prohibited from communicating with those not on the portal as they risk violating NCAA rules regarding tampering.
Lucas has been trapped in “purgatory” since schools did not communicate with him to avoid violating those rules.
“NCAA rules do not prevent a student-athlete from withdrawing from one institution, enrolling at a new institution and competing immediately,” an NCAA spokesperson said in a statement.
This is the first known public dispute between a player and the school related to a revenue-sharing contract. Schools recently began signing players to such contracts. As part of the historic NCAA settlement and power conferences over the House antitrust case, schools can share millions in revenue with their athletes starting July 1 if the deal is approved in April. Revenue-sharing agreements are contingent on approval of the agreement, a key clause that could make the contract unenforceable.
The situation could set a precedent for future challenges to the validity of revenue-sharing contracts conditional on liquidation. Schools are signing players to multi-year contracts as a way to secure multi-season talent, stabilize the sport and limit athlete movement, which is currently at an all-time high.
According to Heitner, Lucas and his family, “in an act of desperation,” approached Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell last week to ask for an explanation and reconsider the decision. Instead, the coach tried to convince Lucas to stay at the University of Washington.
The NCAA’s transfer rules have been in the crosshairs for years.
The association, a voluntary membership group where school leaders set the rules, has made significant changes over the years to give athletes more freedom of movement, some of them the result of court decisions.
For example, a judge in Ohio v. NCAA prohibited the NCAA from enforcing a long-standing rule requiring athletes to sit out a year before playing at their new school.
All of this is taking place in the context of possible portal changes that are coming. The American Football Coaches Association voted unanimously Tuesday to condense the portal into a 10-day window in January. Currently, there are two portal windows, in fall and spring, that last 45 days. The recommendation will now be examined by several NCAA rules committees that have policy-making authority.