The highly-touted cornerback set the tone with a major play in his Badgers debut.
Wisconsin Badgers true freshman cornerback Xavier Lucas started off his college career with a bang last weekend, snatching a one-handed interception in his debut to cap off the team’s 28-14 win over Western Michigan.
Lucas, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024, was one of the most highly touted players in the cycle for Wisconsin, who managed to pry the cornerback away from his home state of Florida.
Expectations were high coming into the fall for Lucas, but he seemed to meet every challenge early on, even cracking the Week 1 two-deep, despite not enrolling early.
Then came Week 1, where Lucas ultimately played seven snaps, notching the impressive interception late in the fourth quarter.
What was the true freshman’s expectations going into his first game?
“I have high expectations for myself,” Lucas shared earlier this week. “I actually didn’t know I was gonna get [the interception[ in my first game, but eventually going on in my freshman season, but it was surreal. It was nothing like it. Definitely the highest point in my career.”
Lucas has looked to his peers early on to get up to speed at the college level, leaning on the likes of fellow Florida native Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean, as well as cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes.
“All the DBs, they’re very supportive,” Lucas said. “They coach me on every single little detail, and I really appreciate that. But before that drive, Rico (Hallman) was like, since I’m a freshman, they’re probably going to go at me, and that’s what they did.”
“[In camp], I was making plays pretty early, but I had to catch on to the speed of things with, like, physicality and slow the game down. You know, high school to college, it’s a big jump. So, yeah, that was about it.”
Fourqurean and Lucas both play the boundary position, and the senior has been highly impressed by the true freshman early on.
“Since day one, he’s been so poised in his technique,” Fourqurean said about Lucas. “I think he’s just done a good job taking coaching from the other guys. He always wants to learn from guys like me, Rico (Hallman) and RJ (Delancy), just guys that have been around the block for a while.”
“And I think he’s just a freak athlete. Obviously, you can see his size, his speed. He’s very poised as a freshman, just very patient at the line of scrimmage and he just makes plays. He’s a ballplayer at the end of the day, very good player, and I’m very excited for what he’s going to do for us.”
In Fourqurean’s eyes, it didn’t take long for Lucas to catch on, despite him not enrolling early, with the true freshman being one of the most unique players he’s lined up with.
“I’ll be so honest, [it was the] first day I realized how good he was going to be,” Fourqurean said. “Just because I’ve been in college for like five years, this is my fifth year now, and I’ve really never seen a freshman, let alone some guys going into their fifth year, be as poised and as confident as he is, especially just coming in as a true freshman.”
“So since day one, I noticed, like, the little things like his technique, his speed, and just his confidence. And then as he started to go on and learn the defense more, I’ve seen how much he’s just grown. I’ve played with a lot of good players, but I think what stands out to me, him being that as a freshman, like, not even early enrolling to the point where he’s working with Coach Brady (Collins) and the rest of the strength staff over the offseason, before the season. So for him to come in like that and especially his mindset, which stands out to be the most, I think that separates itself from anybody I’ve ever played with for sure.”
From the outside looking in, it was a whirlwind for the Badgers to land Lucas, as they were heavily competing with the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles for the cornerback.
But, from the inside, it actually wasn’t that complicated for Lucas.
“[Wisconsin] showed a lot of love since Day 1, and the bond I built with Coach (Luke) Fickell and Coach (Paul) Haynes and all the staff members just, it was like no other,” Lucas said. “So I just felt like home when I came on my visit, and I knew this [place] would be [the one].”
“[Florida State and Miami’s] pitch was pretty strong, but I was kind of already decided before, like months and months before signing day, so I really just heard them out. [Wisconsin was] what I stuck with.”
Now, the Badgers hope that Lucas will be their next budding star, with the NFL firmly in the discussion for the true freshman.
Following an impressive debut, his snaps could slowly start to increase throughout the season, which starts with Wisconsin’s home game in Week 2 against South Dakota.