MADISON (WKOW) — UW-Madison is taking legal action after a football player with star potential left the Badgers to play at the University of Miami over the winter. The case could have major implications for how the NCAA handles NIL deals and player transfers.

UW-Madison and VC Connect LLC have filed a lawsuit against the University of Miami, alleging the Hurricanes wrongfully interfered with Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) contracts. The complaint, filed on Friday, claims Miami induced Xavier Lucas to break his agreements and transfer.

Lucas had signed lucrative NIL contracts with UW-Madison and VC Connect for the 2025 season. However, Miami allegedly tampered with these agreements, causing him to leave Madison and enroll at Miami, violating NCAA anti-tampering rules.

The up and coming cornerback entered the transfer portal in December 2024. He was coming off a freshman season where he played 11 games, recording 18 tackles and grabbing an interception.

Lucas was a four-star prospect coming out of high school. He was born in Pompano Beach, Florida, about an hour north of Miami. 

The complaint outlines how Miami’s actions resulted in significant financial and reputational harm to the plaintiffs. It also highlights the broader implications for college athletics, emphasizing the need to protect contractual commitments amid the evolving NIL landscape.

Miami’s conduct reportedly included contacting Lucas and offering more lucrative financial terms, despite the player’s existing commitments. UW-Madison and VC Connect seek damages and a declaration that Miami’s actions constituted tampering.

The University of Miami has not yet responded to the allegations.

This battle has gone from the gridiron to the courtroom.

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective, VC Collect, filed a historic lawsuit Friday alleging the University of Miami broke the law in poaching one of its football players, according to multiple reports.

Both Yahoo and ESPN called it a “first of its kind” attempt to involve courts in the honoring of a financial deal between a university and an athlete.

While the lawsuit does not mention a specific player, calling him “Student Athlete A,” the lawsuit reportedly is in line with the maneuverings of former Badgers freshman defensive back Xavier Lucas.

Lucas left Wisconsin and enrolled at Miami in January despite Wisconsin not placing him in the transfer portal and after signing a two-year revenue-sharing deal with the school beginning July 1, per Yahoo.

Wisconsin alleges Miami committed “tortious interference” after a Hurricanes staffer and a “prominent” alum met with Lucas and his family in Florida and offered financial compensation to head to the ACC school despite knowing of his deal with Wisconsin, per ESPN.

The lawsuit alleges that Wisconsin’s revenue-sharing deal prohibits a player from transferring to another school to continue playing sports, although ESPN noted that similar Wisconsin contracts make it clear the individual is not being paid to play football but is being compensated for NIL.

The Badgers reportedly stated in the lawsuit they hope this will help the integrity of college sports and hold programs legally accountable if they interference with athlete’s commitments.

Yahoo reported that Wisconsin in seeking unspecified financial damages with the filing.

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” Wisconsin said in a statement to ESPN.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Twenty-three (23) National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) student-athletes landed a spot on the 2025 Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team for their performance in the classroom and on the ice during the past season. College Sports Communicators (CSC), which selects the Academic All-District Teams, announced both the men’s and women’s 2025 At-Large Teams on Tuesday.
 
The 23 honorees from the NCHC played for seven different schools, led by six from national champion Western Michigan. Denver and Omaha each placed four on the 2025 Academic All-District Team, while Colorado College and St. Cloud State are home to three members each. Miami saw a pair of players recognized and Minnesota Duluth has one recipient.
 
The Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team distinguishes the nation’s top student-athletes in a variety of sports for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. The 23 CSC Academic All-District Team members from the NCHC in 2024-25 are (listed alphabetically):

• Kent Anderson, Denver, Jr., D
• Brock Bremer, Omaha, Gr., F
• Boston Buckberger, Denver, So., D
• Max Burkholder, Colorado College, So., D
• Stanley Cooley, Colorado College, Sr., F
• Cole Crusberg-Roseen, Western Michigan, So., D
• *Matt Davis, Denver, Sr., G
• *Jack Devine, Denver, Sr., F
• Christophe Fillion, Miami, Gr., F
• Ty Gallagher, Colorado College, Gr., D
• Daimon Gardner, St. Cloud State, So., F
• Jimmy Glynn, Omaha, Gr., F
• Brian Kramer, Western Michigan, Gr., D
• Nolan Krenzen, Omaha, Gr., D
• Griffin Ludtke, Omaha, Jr., D
• Blake Mesenburg, Miami, Jr., F
• Joey Pierce, Minnesota Duluth, Jr., D
• Isak Posch, St. Cloud State, So., G
• Mason Reiners, St. Cloud State, Jr., D
• Samuel Sjolund, Western Michigan, Jr., D
• Grant Slukynsky, Western Michigan, So., F
• Garrett Szydlowski, Western Michigan, So., F
• *Tim Washe, Western Michigan, Gr., F

 
Three of the 23 NCHC student-athletes were selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists (denoted with an asterisk above) and will advance to the national ballot: Denver goaltender Matt Davis, Denver forward Jack Devine and Western Michigan forward Tim Washe. The Men’s At-Large Academic All-America Teams (First, Second and Third), as voted by CSC members, will be announced on Wednesday, July 9. Devine is a two-time First-Team All-NCHC selection and two-time First-Team All-American, while Davis garnered the NCHC’s Senior Scholar-Athlete Award this past season and Washe collected NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year honors in 2025.
 
Six NCHC student-athletes repeated on the Academic All-District Team, including Colorado College senior Stanley Cooley, who received the honor for the third time. Along with Cooley, Denver’s Kent Anderson, Davis, Miami’s Blake Mesenburg, Western Michigan’s Samuel Sjolund and Washe also collected Academic All-District honors in 2024.
 
To be eligible for Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 90 percent of their team’s games this season or started 66 percent of the games (50 percent for goaltenders).
 
Each school is limited to six nominees for the Men’s At-Large Academic All-District Team, which includes athletes from the NCAA men’s sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
 
CSC, previously known as CoSIDA, serves as the voting body for all Academic All-America Teams. Last year, DU’s Kent Anderson was chosen to the Academic All-America Team.
 

–#NCHChockey–

 

The Academic All-District Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for combined performance in athletics and the classroom (must have a 3.50 or higher overall GPA). The 12 sports which are included on the men’s at-large ballot are fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.

Gagne graduated in May with a 3.58 GPA as a Sport Management and Leadership major. He was the sixth two-time captain in program history, was a nominee for the Hockey Humanitarian Award and was a two-time Hockey East Third Team All-Star (2024 and 2025). Gagne also won the 2025 Jim Urquhart Outstanding Student-Athlete Award which is the most prestigious UNH Athletics Award a student-athlete can win.

 

This past season, Gagne led the team in blocks (62) for the third consecutive year and he ranked fourth in Hockey East. He led UNH defensemen in goals (four), assists (13) and points (17). Gagne ranked first in the nation in defensive-zone puck battle wins, second in D-zone stick checks, third in D-zone denials and seventh in D-zone blocked passes. Gagne concluded his career with seven goals, 41 assists and 48 points while playing in 139 games.

 

Gagne won the team’s Whoop Snively Citizenship Award three times, while he received the team’s Roger A. LeClerc Most Valuable Player Award and Rod Langway Best Defenseman Award twice. He has been named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team every season.

2025-26 UNH men’s hockey season tickets are now available and can be purchased at UNHWildcats.com/BuyTickets or by calling the ticket office at (603) 862-4000. Don’t miss the most exciting family entertainment in New Hampshire.