Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 12): Wisconsin Lands 3-Star DB, More Northwestern Controversy

Xavier Lucas, a three-star safety in the class of 2024, committed to coach Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday. Elsewhere, it was reported that Northwestern's athletic department did not inform the baseball team of its decision to not promote acting coach Brian Anderson, upsetting many players currently on the team.

Daniel Olinger | Aug 12, 2023

Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 12): Wisconsin Lands 3-Star DB, More Northwestern Controversy /

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Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers just won't stop when it comes to the 2024 recruiting class.

Three-star defensive back Xavier Lucas committed to Wisconsin on Friday, picking the Badgers over national title contenders such as Alabama and Michigan, which had also offered him.

Unfortunately for Northwestern, the Wildcats produced more news on Friday as well, and it was once again the bad kind. After Northwestern's head baseball coach Jim Foster was "relieved of his duties" for creating a toxic environment with the team, Brian Anderson took over as acting coach. It was reported on Friday, though, that Anderson would not be promoted to full-time head coach in 2024. Northwestern Athletic Director Derrick Gragg never told the baseball players on NU's team that he would search for a new candidate instead of hiring Anderson.

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Xavier Lucas Commits to Wisconsin

Indiana football fans know how great a defensive back from the state of Florida can be. On Friday, the three-star Lucas — who plays safety at American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. — chose Bucky and the Badgers as his college destination.

Home👐🏾🦡🔴🏠 @CoachFick @BadgerFootball #OnWisconsin @SteezoDsgn pic.twitter.com/GDNinBQlrV
— Xavier Lucas (@XavierL_25) August 11, 2023

Lucas is the 21st overall commit in Wisconsin's 2024 recruiting class, which is currently ranked as the 23rd best class in the nation, according to 247 Sports. Additionally, Fickell and the Badgers have the sixth overall ranked 2024 recruiting class in the Big Ten, behind only Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oregon and USC (Oregon and USC will have joined the Big Ten by that time).

Lucas was offered by a number of Power 5 (soon to be Power 4?) schools, including the previously mentioned Alabama. Lucas was also offered by seven other schools in the current Big Ten in addition to Wisconsin, including Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Rutgers, Nebraska and Purdue, according to 247 Sports.

Northwestern Baseball Controversy

If everyone and everything in Evanston had just been frozen in time for the past month, Northwestern would be in an infinitely better place than it is right now.

Just days after the football team made headlines with controversial t-shirts showing support for fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Inside NU's Bradley Locker reported that Athletic Director Gragg had mishandled the hiring of a new baseball coach at the school.

According to Locker, the players were never told directly by Gragg or the University that the team's acting coach, Anderson, would not be promoted to full-time head coach, and that a nationwide search had already begun. This upset players on the Northwestern baseball team, who don't trust how their athletic department is handling this whole ordeal, according to Inside NU.

According to multiple sources that Inside NU spoke to, including current and former players, Northwestern baseball has decided not to hire Brian Anderson as head coach.

Players were left to share news among themselves — and don’t trust the hiring process. https://t.co/kTujb1Xr1p
— Inside NU (@insidenu) August 11, 2023

In the article, it's stated that the baseball team had given its full support to Anderson, and wanted him to be its next head coach.

"According to two players, the team indicated its support of Anderson to be Northwestern’s next head coach in a July 17 meeting — the first after the 'indefinite suspension' of Jim Foster," Locker wrote for Inside NU. "With one noting it was 'just about unanimously' in favor of Anderson. A player shared that NU’s athletic department was 'having us operating under the assumption' that Anderson would be the head coach for 2024."

The article states that Gragg sent an email to the baseball team on Aug. 3, with the goal of reassuring the players that Northwestern is still supporting them at this time. Players on Northwestern's baseball team said it was the last they had heard from Gragg, and a current baseball player told Inside NU that, “They ignore calls, ignore emails, texts, [they're] functioning right now with the sole purpose of keeping mouths shut.”

Xavier Lucas Commits to Wisconsin

Northwestern Baseball Controversy

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