Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds reacts to Miami's Mark Fletcher Jr throwing punch after championship loss: 'Shocked'

Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds reacts to Miami's Mark Fletcher Jr throwing punch after championship loss: 'Shocked'

Ponds implied Fletcher was out of character having grown up in Florida together

Scott Thompson Fox News

Published

January 22, 2026 7:06pm EST

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As someone who grew up with Miami Hurricanes star running back Mark Fletcher Jr., Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds was very surprised to see him get in an altercation with his Hoosiers teammate.

The Hoosiers made history on Monday night, defeating the Hurricanes to complete the first-ever 16-0 season in college football since 1894. It was Jamari Sharpe, Ponds' fellow cornerback teammate 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 that saw Fletcher, who had two touchdowns for Miami in the 27-21 loss, throw 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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Indiana Hoosiers DB D'Angelo Ponds (5) during a college football game between the UCLA Bruins and Indiana Hoosiers on October 25, 2025 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN. (James Black/Icon Sportswire)

Ponds was on hand with Sharpe and Hoosiers receiver Elijah Sarrat 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 his own 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."

DETAILS EMERGE AFTER MIAMI STAR SEEN THROWING PUNCH AT INDIANA PLAYER FOLLOWING NATIONAL TITLE LOSS

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 to begin with.

Tucker was accused of making a remark about Fletcher’s deceased father following 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.

Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) rushes for a touchdown 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/Imagn Images)

"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 on Thursday at the Raising Cane’s in Bloomington, Indiana, that he plans on entering the 2026 NFL Draft.

Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds reflected on Mark Fletcher Jr. punching his teammate, Tyrique Tucker, after the national championship. (GETTY)

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"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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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds reacts to Miami's Mark Fletcher Jr throwing punch after championship loss: 'Shocked'