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After an offseason transfer from Euless Trinity (TX) to North Crowley (Fort Worth, TX) and ultimately failing to appeal for eligibility, elite cornerback John Meredith III announced Thursday, July 23, that he will reclassify to the 2026 class and join the University of Texas football team a year early.
"I feel like I'm physically ready," Meredith said to ESPN. "It's time to ball."
But that left many wondering: Why is Meredith allowed to ball? How was he allowed to bypass his senior year of high school?
The answer, it turns out, is fairly simple: It comes down to early high school graduation rules under Texas law, and NCAA academic certification.
To graduate from high school in Texas, students must complete requirements laid out by the High School Foundation Program. This stipulates a minimum of 22 credits, including four in English, three in each of math, social studies and science, two in a non-English language, one in fine arts, one in physical education, and five in electives, as outlined here.
Students also need to pass five end-of-course tests covering algebra I, English I and II, biology and U.S. history for graduation.
The High School Foundation Program generally requires a student to earn what is called an endorsement, which demonstrates knowledge or skill in a specific field, choosing between STEM, business and industry, public service, arts and humanities, or multidisciplinary studies. However, a student can graduate without earning an endorsement.
Meredith would have to had achieved the requirements for graduation by the beginning of his senior year, and either earned an endorsement or had the requirement waived.
The NCAA has a variety of requirements for standard athletic and academic eligibility.
Academically, a student must pass 16 “core courses” — English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy — and have completed at least 10 of them by the end of their junior year.
The GPA must be at least 2.3 in these core courses to be eligible to play Division I sports.
The student must also get an athletics certification (register here).
Those are the basics. There are other components, such as submitting transcripts, but that’s the core. Texas graduation rules mirror or surpass what is necessary to play ball at a Division I program.
A five-star cornerback, John Meredith was one of the best defensive backs in football as a junior, named First Team All-USA Southwest last year. He was poised to position himself as a Player of the Year candidate as a senior — had he have been eligible.
Meredith transferred from Trinity to North Crowley in the offseason, shifting to one of the best high school football teams in Texas. However, after being ruled ineligible by the University Interscholastic League (UIL), Meredith would have had to either return to Trinity, transfer out of state, or miss his senior year.
While transferring again seemed like the most likely option, he chose option four, staying in Texas to play for the Longhorns. He is 18 years old, according to Yahoo Sports.
Now, he’ll get a headstart on his collegiate career, joining a team that’s hoping to make a run at the College Football Playoffs. After getting into the CFP in 2024 and winning the Citrus Bowl in 2025, the Longhorns will be back with a stacked team led by quarterback Arch Manning, Colin Simmons and Ryan Wingo. They had the top-ranked recruiting class on 247Sports — and that was before they got Meredith.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why was John Meredith III eligible to reclassify, join the Texas Longhorns early?
Continue reading...
"I feel like I'm physically ready," Meredith said to ESPN. "It's time to ball."
But that left many wondering: Why is Meredith allowed to ball? How was he allowed to bypass his senior year of high school?
The answer, it turns out, is fairly simple: It comes down to early high school graduation rules under Texas law, and NCAA academic certification.
Texas early graduation rules
To graduate from high school in Texas, students must complete requirements laid out by the High School Foundation Program. This stipulates a minimum of 22 credits, including four in English, three in each of math, social studies and science, two in a non-English language, one in fine arts, one in physical education, and five in electives, as outlined here.
Students also need to pass five end-of-course tests covering algebra I, English I and II, biology and U.S. history for graduation.
The High School Foundation Program generally requires a student to earn what is called an endorsement, which demonstrates knowledge or skill in a specific field, choosing between STEM, business and industry, public service, arts and humanities, or multidisciplinary studies. However, a student can graduate without earning an endorsement.
Meredith would have to had achieved the requirements for graduation by the beginning of his senior year, and either earned an endorsement or had the requirement waived.
Standard NCAA academic certification
The NCAA has a variety of requirements for standard athletic and academic eligibility.
Academically, a student must pass 16 “core courses” — English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy — and have completed at least 10 of them by the end of their junior year.
The GPA must be at least 2.3 in these core courses to be eligible to play Division I sports.
The student must also get an athletics certification (register here).
Those are the basics. There are other components, such as submitting transcripts, but that’s the core. Texas graduation rules mirror or surpass what is necessary to play ball at a Division I program.
John Meredith III is going to Texas
A five-star cornerback, John Meredith was one of the best defensive backs in football as a junior, named First Team All-USA Southwest last year. He was poised to position himself as a Player of the Year candidate as a senior — had he have been eligible.
Meredith transferred from Trinity to North Crowley in the offseason, shifting to one of the best high school football teams in Texas. However, after being ruled ineligible by the University Interscholastic League (UIL), Meredith would have had to either return to Trinity, transfer out of state, or miss his senior year.
While transferring again seemed like the most likely option, he chose option four, staying in Texas to play for the Longhorns. He is 18 years old, according to Yahoo Sports.
Now, he’ll get a headstart on his collegiate career, joining a team that’s hoping to make a run at the College Football Playoffs. After getting into the CFP in 2024 and winning the Citrus Bowl in 2025, the Longhorns will be back with a stacked team led by quarterback Arch Manning, Colin Simmons and Ryan Wingo. They had the top-ranked recruiting class on 247Sports — and that was before they got Meredith.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why was John Meredith III eligible to reclassify, join the Texas Longhorns early?
Continue reading...
