Elijah Smith, a junior cornerback, will not join the Allen football team after the University Interscholastic League’s state executive committee denied his eligibility appeal. The committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to uphold a previous decision by a local district executive committee, which determined that Smith relocated to Texas primarily for athletic reasons.
Smith, who has received offers from Baylor, Kansas State, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Colorado State, and UNLV, was seeking to play for Allen, a team currently ranked No. 10 in the nation by MaxPreps and holding a 4-0 record. This would have been the fourth high school Smith attended, following stints at Loyola and Bishop Montgomery in California and Hamilton in Arizona.
During the UIL hearing, Smith’s parents stated that the family moved to Texas to assist relatives in Waco who required their help. However, the state executive committee questioned why the family did not relocate directly to Waco.
The parents also claimed they were unaware of Allen High School’s prominence in football when selecting their new residence, noting they chose the city based on the availability of a specific home lease.
Smith’s eligibility issues stem from a prior incident at Bishop Montgomery, where he and 18 other players received two-year suspensions due to altered paperwork intended to secure immediate eligibility. That group included George Toia, a four-star defensive lineman who played for Trophy Club Byron Nelson last year and is now enrolled at Layton Christian Academy in Utah.
Arizona officials subsequently ruled that Smith would not be eligible for his first year at Hamilton, adhering to the California sanctions, though his parents argued he would have been eligible for the current season.
