Freshman CB Xavier Lucas proving to be a recruiting steal for Wisconsin

Wisconsin has found a future star at cornerback.

Wisconsin cornerback Xavier Lucas (6) is shown during the first quarter of their game against South Dakota Saturday, September 7 , 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Xavier Lucas was the ninth-best prospect in Wisconsin's 2024 recruiting class according to 247Sports. Through six games of the 2024 season, he's made arguably the most immediate impact.

He was a four-star prospect and the No. 372 recruit in the country according to 247Sports' composite rankings. In last week's win over Rutgers, he played a season-high 38 snaps at cornerback for the Badgers.

"We've had the ability as a young guy to play him situationally. I didn't know he had 38 snaps, I guess I didn't see that was the most he's had this year. He's been a guy that we've been able to roll and that's something we didn't have last year," Badgers head coach Luke Fickell said. "As you're seeing, we're playing some different personnel and he has maybe not the starting role, but he has a role as soon as we go to dime or as soon as we go into a different package, which I think gives him some confidence as well."

Out of the 134 snaps that Lucas has played this season, 85.8% of them have come at outside cornerback, 8.2% have come inside the box at safety or linebacker and the last 6% have come at the slot position.

"He's a guy walking into the door, we knew he was going to have talent. We knew he was going to have to be put in there at some point and time. How was he going to handle that? How was his maturity going to handle that? Can he adjust week in and week out? He's done a really good job," Fickell said. "Usually there's a bit more of a roller coaster with young guys. They can go in and they can perform well, they can play well in their 20 or 30 snaps... he's not a guy that I'd think that about. He's a guy that's a bit more mature beyond his years."

Last week against Rutgers, Lucas recorded a 72.9 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade, which was his third-best mark of the season. His 38 snaps tied for second most at the cornerback position.

Coming out of high school, Lucas signed with Wisconsin over top offers from schools like Alabama, Miami (FL) and Texas A&M. He's still incredibly early in his Badgers career, but he's already proving to be one of the best recruiting finds for Fickell and his staff since arriving in Madison.