NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
As someone who grew up with Miami Hurricanes star running back Mark Fletcher Jr., Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds was shocked to see him in an altercation with his Hoosiers teammate.
The Hoosiers made history Monday night, defeating the Hurricanes to complete the first 16-0 season in college football. It was Jamari Sharpe, Ponds’ teammate, fellow cornerback and another football player he grew up with in the Miami area, who secured quarterback Carson Beck’s game-winning interception at Hard Rock Stadium.
After the game, the ESPN broadcast captured an altercation in which Fletcher, who scored two touchdowns for Miami in the 27-21 loss, threw a punch at Hoosiers’ Tyrique Tucker. It may have escalated even more if Hurricanes teammates and staff members hadn’t held Fletcher back while the celebration for the Hoosiers was going on.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Indiana Hoosiers DB D’Angelo Ponds during a game against the UCLA Bruins on October 25, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. (James Black/Sportswire Icon)
Ponds was on hand with Sharpe and Hoosiers catcher Elijah Sarratt for a celebratory “shift” at Raising Cane’s in Bloomington, Indiana. And before meeting the rowdy fans outside, he spoke to Pak Gazette Digital about that moment with Fletcher and Tucker.
“Those guys that were in this, he’s a guy I knew when I was a kid and stuff like that,” Ponds said of Fletcher, who attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, just a half-hour from Ponds’ Chaminade-Madonna Prep.
“I don’t know the whole story about that. I was definitely surprised by that guy because he’s a guy I knew when I was a kid.”
DETAILS EMERGE AFTER MIAMI STAR SEEN THROWING A PUNCH AT INDIANA PLAYER AFTER NATIONAL TITLE LOSS
Ponds suggested this was out of character for Fletcher, one of the Hurricanes’ leaders who helped them reach the college football national championship.
Tucker was accused of making a comment about Fletcher’s late father after the Hoosiers’ victory. Mike Rumph, Miami’s director of recruiting, alleged in a comment on Instagram that Tucker made the comment.
“Dude was talking about Mark’s dad who passed away last year. Mark is and always will be one of the classiest people you will ever meet. RIP Mr. Fletcher,” Rumph wrote.
Tucker had a different story about what happened.
Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) rushes to score against the Indiana Hoosiers in the second half during the College Football Playoff national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Image Images)
“I was just trying to congratulate him on the game,” he told the Herald-Times. “He tried to sneak me around. Everyone stopped me. That was a cheap shot. Luckily, we got the win. I’m not really too worried about it. He’s salty. He’s going home with the L.”
Tucker apparently wanted to congratulate Fletcher on his two-touchdown performance before things went wrong, according to The Herald-Times. He said he didn’t tell him anything.
Fletcher has yet to comment on the incident.
In lighter news, Ponds also told reporters Thursday at Raising Cane’s in Bloomington, Indiana, that he plans to enter the 2026 NFL Draft.
Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds reflected on Mark Fletcher Jr. punching his teammate Tyrique Tucker after the national championship. (Getty)
“I haven’t officially announced it,” he said, “but yes, that’s the plan.”
Ponds, a 5-foot-9, 173-pound cornerback, is projected to be a second-round pick this April by draft experts.
