John Meredith III was forced to reclassify and enroll early at Texas instead of playing his senior season of high school football. New information reveals that the University Interscholastic League held the top-ranked recruit hostage.
It was not only the fault of his former head coach.
This unfortunate discovery proves the high school football transfer process is rigged against the athletes. They don’t stand a chance.
John Meredith III decided to reclassify instead of returning to play high school football at Euless Trinity.
As a five-star recruit, John Meredith III ranked as one of the four-best players in the recruiting Class of 2027 and the top-ranked defensive back. He recently reclassified to the Class of 2026 and will enroll at the University of Texas later this month instead of playing his senior season of high school football.
His decision was not entirely his own.
The 6-foot-2.5, 187-pound cornerback played his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons at Euless Trinity High School. It was announced at the beginning of January that he had transferred to North Crowley for the second semester of his junior year. He was going to play his senior year of high school football for the Panthers.
The original plan was to either enroll at the University of Texas next January for spring practice of next summer. Meredith was not going to get to Austin until 2027.
The UIL denied his eligibility appeal at North Crowley.
The District 11-6A Executive Committee first ruled that John Meredith would not be eligible to play at North Crowley in the fall. The University Interscholastic League ultimately denied his appeal.
Meredith made a legitimate case that his decision to transfer did not stem only from athletics. His family moved to the Fort Worth area after his mother got married. He also grew up in the community with his late father. They had a real reason to move.
Didn’t matter. The District Executive Committe and the UIL said no.
Meredith could either rejoin the team at Euless Trinity, leave the state, or reclassify. Those were his only three options. He went with the third.
The failed eligibility appeal stemmed from the ‘Prior Athletic Participation Form,’ which allowed the head coach at Euless Trinity to, essentially, hold him hostage. Head coach Aaron Lineweaver marked that Meredith’s transfer was for athletic purposes. High school athletes in Texas are not allowed to transfer for athletic reasons. His eligibility was denied.
As it would turn out, the UIL helped Lineweaver to fill out the form. According to Charles Baggarly, the University Interscholastic League walked him through the paperwork process and worked with him to “find a way for this kid to come back.” It encouraged the head coach to check the box for athletic purposes if he wanted to get it done properly. And, to make matters worse, two UIL officials acknowledged that the head coach waffled back and forth while making his argument during the appeal.
There is a world where Meredith could’ve been ruled eligible at North Crowley. The UIL worked with Euless Trinity to make sure that reality did not exist.