A last-ditch effort by four-star quarterback Colton Nussmeier to be ruled eligible to play varsity football at Denton Ryan in the fall was denied.
The University Interscholastic League denied Nussmeier’s appeal by a vote of 4-1 Thursday, ruling that the Georgia-commit had transferred for athletic purposes.
According to reports from the original eligibility hearing, the District 3-5A Division I Executive Committee tied voting, leaving the decision up to Marcus football head coach Mike Alexander.
From his perspective, he believed Nussmeier had transferred for athletic purposes, despite not having specific evidence to prove so. Alexander checked the box indicating that belief, rendering Nussmeier ineligible to play at Denton Ryan.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Alexander went back on that belief at the UIL State Executive Committee, saying new information at the hearing Thursday led him to believe Nussmeier transferred for other reasons.
However, that decision back in June settled Nussmeier’s athletic fate.
The last chance Nussmeier has to be ruled eligible is if his family takes the case to court, which was mentioned during the hearing.
If not, Nussmeier will still have eligibility to play at Marcus. He can also compete at a private school or an out-of-state public school.
Nussmeier’s family did list their house in Flower Mound and start renting a house within the Denton Ryan zone. According to the family, they moved for personal reasons, as well as wanting Nussmeier to be in a smaller-school environment with a more diverse group of people.
According to the DMN, Doug Nussmeier, Colton Nussmeier’s father and offensive coordinator with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, said his son was struggling at Marcus and needed a change in scenery after suffering a knee injury in November that took him out of competition.
The family did research on multiple schools before deciding Denton Ryan met all their criteria.
Denton ISD’s retiring athletic director and Texas high school football legend Joey Florence told the UIL at the meeting he believed Alexander should not have marked Nussmeier’s transfer as “for athletic purposes” since he didn’t have any evidence.
Football runs in the Nussmeier family, as Colton’s older bother, Garrett, recently finished his collegiate career as LSU’s starting quarterback and was drafted why the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Colton Nussmeier is one of two top quarterbacks to change schools in the Denton County area.
Argyle High School recently picked up Prosper Walnut Grove transfer Hayes Hackney after Maguire Gasperson graduated and will soon suit up for the University of Texas at San Antonio.
While Colton Nussmeier was ruled ineligible, Hackney was approved to suit up for Argyle.
