The Indiana Hoosiers won their first-ever national title by beating Miami in Monday night’s college football championship, marching triumphantly to a thrilling victory that ended with a little extra drama when two opposing players got into it following the final whistle.
Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher was caught on camera throwing a punch at Indiana defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker during an ugly on-field incident after the Hoosiers’ 27-21 win. Fletcher continued to pursue Tucker for a few seconds before being held back by a nearby coach.
As for what incited the punch, Tucker claimed he was just trying to congratulate Fletcher on his win, but that Fletcher snuck in a “cheap” shot.
“I was trying to be a good sport, some people are low, man,” Tucker said, via The Herald-Times. “I didn't say nothing to him after the game.”
Hurricanes director of recruiting Mike Rumph had a very different account of the heated postgame moment, though. Rumph commented on a viral video of Fletcher’s punch and said Tucker had made insensitive comments about Fletcher’s late father, which caused the Miami running back to retaliate.
“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.
Miami recruiting director confirms that Indiana’s Tyrique Tucker made comments to Mark Fletcher Jr about his late father.
— MIAMI (@MiamiSportsHQ) January 20, 2026
Tucker joked about the incident online as people criticized Fletcher. pic.twitter.com/zgxJe9xG4X
Fletcher’s dad, Mark Fletcher Sr., passed away in October 2024, but the Miami running back has still found sweet ways to honor him in his absence: for one, Fletcher kept his dad’s old cellphone and texts him before every single game. Ahead of the national title showdown, Fletcher reportedly texted, “Good morning, dad. Be with me, boss man. I love you.”
Despite Miami’s bitter loss, Fletcher put up big numbers in the national title game with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a 57-yard run that’s good for the second-longest touchdown in CFP championship game history.
It’s unfortunate that the much-anticipated Indiana-Miami championship game ended with some seemingly bad blood between Fletcher and Tucker, but hopefully both players can quickly move on from it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Miami Staffer Claims Mark Fletcher Threw Punch Over Alleged Insult About His Late Father.
