Luke Fickell, Wisconsin File Appeal to NCAA on Behalf of Nyzier Fourqurean
It appears Wisconsin’s fight to get cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean eligible for the 2025 season is not over. During a roundtable session at Big Ten Media Days, head coach Luke Fickell revealed that he’s filed an appeal on behalf of the senior cornerback. Earlier this month, the Badgers were dealt a blow when a court struck down Fourqurean’s preliminary injunction that he received in February.
“It’s back to the appeal process,” Fickell told reporters in Las Vegas. “I’d love to be able to address the whole thing and just try to kind of frame it to put it off to the NCAA. The courts came back and said, ‘We couldn’t make a decision,’ but they’re overturning what was made in our courts in Wisconsin. But they’ve also asked for it to go back to the NCAA and say, ‘Hey, we don’t want this to go to trial, so we suggest that you guys work this out.’
‘We now are back involved as a university and allowed an appeal. Putting it into the hands of the NCAA and say, ‘Hey, look. We’re not trying to change the landscape of college football.’ The NCAA, they get hammered the last three or four years with all the things that are going on. What I would like to say, they have an opportunity now, it’s not changing college football, but this is something that could change a kid’s life.
“I just hope they sit down with him and give him an opportunity to express and look at his appeal in a different way and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Fickell said he filed the appeal with the NCAA on Tuesday.
Fourqurean, who began his career at Grand Valley State, played two seasons at the Division 2 level before transferring to the Badgers ahead of the 2023 season. Fourqurean sued the NCAA in January, citing that his five-year eligibility window shouldn’t include the two seasons he spent at GVSU. A judge granted the injunction on Feb. 6 and Fourqurean returned to UW, participating in spring practice. Fourqurean argued that his time at GVSU limited his ability to earn money from name, image, and likeness, similar to the case won by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who spent two seasons at the junior college level, but unlike Fourqurean, was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA and will play in the fall.
As a senior, Fourqurean enjoyed a breakout season, registering 51.0 tackles, six pass breakups, and an interception. In two seasons with the Badgers, Fourqurean tallied 90.0 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 2.0 sacks, eight pass breakups, and the pick. A former Division 2 first-team All-American, Fourqurean played 24 games for GVSU.
Wisconsin opens up fall camp on July 29. Fickell was unsure whether or not Fourqurean would at least be allowed to practice, should the appeals process still be ongoing.
“I have to have confidence in the NCAA — I’m not telling them what to do, but hopefully they’ll at least look at this and say, ‘Let’s sit down with this young man and see what this whole thing is really about.”
Wisconsin opens the 2025 season on Aug. 28 against Miami (OH). Preparing to go without Fourqurean, the Badgers are quite thin at cornerback. UW does return senior cornerback and three-year starter Ricardo Hallman, but Miami (FL) transfer D’Yoni Hill, likely steps into a starting role. Junior Geimere Latimer Jr. , currently at nickel, could also move to the perimeter. However, beyond those three, UW does not have a cornerback with in-game experience on the roster. That could mean redshirt freshman Omillio Agard or one of the team’s true freshmen sees meaningful snaps in the fall.
“We’ve gotta prepare like he’s not there and we’ve gotta move forward,” said Fickell. “It was one of those things, it was always in the back of your mind. Never thought it would be this late of a situation. To be honest with you, that’s where you hope the NCAA sits down and re-evaluates this thing. I don’t want to focus on us. This is about a kid. But for us, we had to have a plan moving forward.”
“Omillio is a guy that I would tell you right off the bat, has been playing over there a lot,” Fickell continued. “D’Yoni Hill is a guy that we brought in. Had him playing a bit more on the other side, but he’s a guy we’re going to have to rely upon and see how well he can do. Geimere Latier is a guy we made a nickel just because of the situation we had. He’s another guy who could be in the mix. Then you’ve got some of the freshman guys (Cairo Skanes and Jaimier Scott) who have done a really good job. Nobody in today’s day and age wants to play true freshmen, but the truth of the matter is, there’s some some guys that have been here for a little while, and there’s some competition that’s going to be had, and there’s a lot to be figured out in the next 30 days.”
Quotes courtesy of Max Siker
