While the NCAA and the College Sports Commission have tried and failed to establish the so-called guardrails around NIL and the transfer portal in college sports, the governing body of Texas high school football has had no such trouble. Within the past month, three high-profile transfers within the Dallas-Fort Worth area have been ruled ineligible.
One major difference between the NCAA and the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which governs Texas high school football at the public school level, is that the UIL has rules against transfers for athletic purposes, and the first such transfer essentially turned himself in. Bryson Kennedy, a rising sophomore quarterback, told a podcast in February that left Little Rock Central in Arkansas for Duncanville because "I feel like the opportunity was better for me as a player." Duncanville, located just south of Dallas, is a 6A power with five state championship appearances since 2018. The Kennedys have since moved back to Arkansas.
Last week, John Meredith III, the No. 2 player in the class of 2027, was ruled ineligible after transferring from Euless Trinity to North Crowley, a Fort Worth suburb and the 2024 state champion as the Class 6A Division I level -- the highest classification in the state.
Then, on Tuesday, Colton Nussmeier was ruled ineligible after an executive committee vote that ruled his transfer from Flower Mound Marcus to Denton Ryan was for athletic purposes. Like Duncanville and North Crowley, Denton Ryan is a perennial power in Class 5A Division I, with three state championships and a trip to the state semifinals in 2024.
Per UIL rules, all transfers must fill out a Previous Athletic Participation Form (PAPF), which includes a section where the administration of the athlete's previous school must sign off that a transfer was not made for athletic purposes. If the administrators decline to check that box, the case goes to a vote of the new school's district. In Nussmeier's case, the vote ended in a 3-3 tie. The decision then reverted to the PAPF form, where Marcus officials said Nussmeier transferred for athletic reasons. The Nussmeiers can appeal the decision to the UIL, but overturns are rare at the state level.
“I don’t have any documentation that says Colton and I had a blowup, Colton and I had a disagreement. Colton has always represented Marcus High School at the highest level,” Marcus head coach Mike Alexander told the Dallas Morning News. “I checked what I feel. Given the proximity of the relocation, I checked yes [that he moved for athletic purposes].”
As the name implies, Colton is the son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and the younger brother of former LSU-turned-Chiefs quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. A 4-star recruit, Colton Nussmeier committed to Georgia earlier this month.
Doug Nussmeier coached for the Dallas Cowboys from 2018-22, and the family stayed behind in the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound as Dad coached for the Chargers, Eagles and Saints over the past four seasons. Doug Nussmeier testified that the family considered Denton when settling in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (the schools are less than 15 miles apart), and that Colton preferred Ryan to Marcus due to its smaller enrollment (Ryan has 2,142 students to Marcus's 3,004) and its more diverse student body.
“This move was not made for athletic purposes,” Doug said, via the Morning News. “Colton was not recruited, Colton was in good academic standing at Marcus and holds a near 4.0 GPA. He was in good standing with the Marcus football team. He was not unhappy or dissatisfied with Coach Alexander or any of the coaches at Marcus. Colton did not play on a non-school team with Denton Ryan players. Colton did not have a connection of any kind with Denton Ryan’s football coaches.
“This move is not about football, Mike Alexander or the Marcus football team. Our family move is about changes in our family, downsizing and growth opportunities for our son.”
It's not immediately clear where Nussmeier will play his senior season of high school football. Doug Nussmeier told the committee that heard Colton's case that the family is renting a house in Denton and selling their Flower Mound home. Options could include returning to Marcus, making a temporary stop in New Orleans, where his dad is prepping for his second season on Kellen Moore's staff, or attempt a move to Georgia to prepare for life as a Bulldog.
Either way, barring a reversal by a state committee, Nussmeier will not be a Denton Ryan Raider this fall, and officials at the college level surely wish managing the transfer portal was as simple as it is in Texas high school football.