New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier doesn’t know how to react. The Kansas City Chiefs selected his older son, former LSU Tigers QB Garrett, in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft as the 249th overall pick. But his younger son has faced a huge stumbling block early in his football career.

Denton Ryan four-star quarterback and Georgia commitment Colton Nussmeier is ineligible to play high school football in Texas in the upcoming season after transferring to a school in the Denton area for athletic purposes. High school athletes cannot transfer just for athletic purposes.

When Garrett was preparing for the NFL draft, Colton transferred from Marcus High School in Flower Mound to Ryan High School in Denton this offseason. However, his move was said to be motivated by athletic purposes, which led him to a DEC hearing.

On Monday, District Executive Committee (DEC) members conducted a hearing on his eligibility, which culminated in a 3-3 vote. This makes the situation even more uncertain and complicated. The decision now rests with the Prior Athletic Participation Form (PAPF), which was the first to share the news of his transfer for athletic purposes. Now, Colton cannot play high school football in Texas in 2026. However, there is a flicker of hope for Colton, who can still appeal the ruling with the University Interscholastic League.

Colton becomes the most recent high school player to be rendered ineligible for transferring for athletic purposes. Five-star cornerback John Meredith III, who moved from Euless Trinity to Fort Worth North Crowley in January, became ineligible last weekend after an 11-6 DEC vote deemed his move for athletic purposes.

Colton had made the move to join one of the most prominent high school football teams in Texas. The Denton Ryan Raiders have won the state championship three times and lost just twice in each of the past three seasons. This was after Colton recently completed in the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles.

Who is Colton Nussmeier?

Colton, a class of 2027 recruit, was preparing for his senior year in high school this season. He recently committed to the Georgia Bulldogs after snubbing teams such as the Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Auburn Tigers, Texas Tech Red Raiders, SMU Mustangs, Arkansas, and UCLA Bruins. Describing his style, BroBible highlighted Colton’s arms and ability to understand coverages.

“Nussmeier has a live arm with easy velocity, steps into throws from a wide base and can gain yardage as a scrambler even though he is not a true duel-threat quarterback. By nature of his football upbringing, he is especially good at diagnosing coverages and avoids interceptions. The Bulldogs will be thrilled to get him on campus. His stock will only continue to rise this upcoming fall.”

Colton ranks No. 34 in the state of Texas, is the No. 12 quarterback in the nation, and is a top 200 player in the 2027 recruiting class, per 247Sports. A knee injury limited the 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback in his junior year. Still, in eight games, he threw for 1,382 yards, 12 touchdowns, and one interception, while completing 60% of his passes. He also rushed for 278 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries.