Wisconsin cornerback Xavier Lucas continues to grade well in the eyes of ProFootballFocus.
The standout true freshman has an overall grade of 80.7 through seven weeks of action, good for sixth among all true freshmen in the Power Four.
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Lucas has battled minor injuries throughout the season, though has been mostly available for Mike Tressel’s secondary. He has recorded nine total tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and two pass deflections in that time.
Raw statistics are often misleading when evaluating cornerbacks, however, as those who are thrown toward less are usually the ones who are best in coverage. For example, Wisconsin star CB Ricardo Hallman barely has any counting statistics this season (nine tackles, four pass deflections), but he’s playing like one of the best corners in the country.
Lucas is certainly playing up to that caliber.
He trails only Oklahoma‘s Eli Bowen (81.4), Louisville’s Isaac Brown (81.6), Ohio State‘s Jeremiah Smith (82.4), Texas‘ Colin Simmons (86.4) and Minnesota’s Koi Perich (91.1) on PFF’s latest list of the true freshmen in the sport:
https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1849437436402683981
Lucas’ status for Wisconsin’s Saturday night showdown with No. 3 Penn State is somewhat up in the air. He left the Badgers’ win over Northwestern last weekend and did not return. There has since been no material update on his availability for Saturday.
His status will be worth monitoring as kickoff nears for a season-defining opportunity for Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers.
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