Colton Nussmeier decided to leave Texas for his senior season of high school football. The younger brother of Garrett Nussmeier will enroll at Archbishop Rummel in Louisiana instead of returning to Marcus after being ruled ineligible at Ryan.
His decision stems from a broken system in the Lone Star State.
A singular high school football coach holds far too much power in whether or not an athlete is ruled eligible at his new program. That coach is also the one who could lose his player to another school.
Colton Nussmeier was ruled ineligible at Ryan after he transferred from Marcus.
At 6-foot-3.5, 195 pounds, Colton Nussmeier ranks as the No. 12 quarterback in the recruiting Class of 2027 as a four-star prospect. His big brother, Garrett, is a rookie in the NFL. His father, Doug, is the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.
Georgia received Colton’s commitment at the beginning of June. Although there is plenty of time for things to change, he seems locked in on the Bulldogs. The last few months have been crazy.
Nussmeier played the last three seasons at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas. He announced his decision to leave Marcus in April and subsequently transferred to Ryan High School in Denton, Texas.
Marcus finished at 5-4 in 2025 and 6-4 the year prior. Ryan went 12-2 in 2025. Nussmeier was going to play for a much better team during his final season of high school football. And then he was ruled ineligible.
He is going to play his final season of high school football in Lousiaina instead of Texas.
Colton Nussmeier was first ruled ineligible at Denton Ryan by the District Executive Committee. The original vote actually ended in a tie at 3-3. As a result, the ruling defers back to the Prior Athletic Participation Form. This is where the system fails.
The Prior Athletic Participation Form is filled out by the head coach of the program from which a player is transferring— the school the athlete is trying to leave. If a head coach decides that the athlete is only transferring for athletic purposes, the athlete is then ruled ineligible if the District Executive Committee vote ends in a tie. And, in most instances, the committee votes based on what the coach marks on the Prior Athletic Participation Form anyway.
Nussmeier appealed to the UIL. His family contends that they moved to Denton from Flower Mound for family reasons and signed a lease on their new home in April while in the process of selling their old home. The appeal was denied.
That left Nussmeier with two options. Because his coach at Marcus effectively held him hostage with the Prior Athletic Participation Form, he could either return to Marcus or leave the state. He went with the latter.
Colton Nussmeier is going to play his final year of high school football at Archbishop Rummel in Metairie, Louisiana.
The Raiders finished at 8-5 last season. They will begin the new season ranked No. 6 in the state with their first game scheduled for September 4.