Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds reacts to Miami's Mark Fletcher Jr throwing punch after championship loss: 'Shocked'
As someone who grew up with Miami Hurricanes star running back Mark Fletcher Jr., Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds was surprised to see him in an altercation with his Hoosiers teammate.
The Hoosiers made history Monday night, defeating the Hurricanes to complete the first-ever 16-0 season in college football. It was Jamari Sharpe, Ponds' teammate, a fellow cornerback and another football player he grew up with in the Miami area, who secured the game-winning interception of quarterback Carson Beck at Hard Rock Stadium.
Following the game, the ESPN broadcast picked up an altercation in which Fletcher, who had 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 didn't hold back Fletcher as the celebration ensued for the Hoosiers.
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Ponds was on hand with Sharpe and Hoosiers receiver Elijah Sarratt for a celebratory "shift" at Raising Cane's in Bloomington, Indiana. And before he met with the raucous fans outside, he spoke with Fox News Digital about that moment with Fletcher and Tucker.
"Those guys that were going at it, that’s a guy that I knew growing up and things like that," Ponds said of Fletcher, who attended American Heritage high school in Plantation, Florida, just a half hour away from Ponds' Chaminade-Madonna Prep.
"I don’t know the full story on that. Definitely was shocked from that guy because that’s a guy I knew growing up."
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Ponds implied this was out of character for Fletcher, one of the Hurricanes’ leaders who helped them reach the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Tucker was accused of making a remark about Fletcher’s deceased 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 most classy people you will meet. RIP Mr. Fletcher," Rumph wrote.
Tucker had a different story about what happened.
"I was just trying to congratulate him on the game," he told The Herald-Times. "He tried to sneak me. Everybody kind of held me back. That was a cheap punch. Luckily, we got the win. I'm not really too worried about it. He's salty. He going home with the L."
Tucker apparently wanted to congratulate Fletcher on his two-touchdown performance before things went awry, according to The Herald-Times. He said he didn’t say anything to him.
Fletcher has yet to comment on the incident.
In lighter news, Ponds also told reporters Thursday at the Raising Cane’s in Bloomington, Indiana, that he plans on entering the 2026 NFL Draft.
"I haven’t officially announced it," he said, "but yeah, that’s the plan."
Ponds, a 5-foot-9, 173-pound cornerback, is projected to be a second-day pick this April by draft experts.
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