When it comes to innovations in scheme, the high school level gets a lot of the credit as the testing ground for plays and schemes that eventually find their way to the college and the pro level.
When it comes to many rule changes, the opposite seems to be true often times. Both the transfer portal and NIL are two recent examples of that in action.
Following the NCAA's decision to allow players to be paid for their Name, Image, and Likeness, state lawmakers decided the same should be available to high school aged student athletes as well and we've seen a cascading effect of states adopting NIL language for high schoolers over the last several years.
The same thing has happened with the transfer portal, as there has been a growing chorus of people that believe high school players should be able to transfer just as freely their college counterparts.
Back in February, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association voted to allow student athletes a one-time free transfer during their high school eligibility that could take place without restrictions. In the months since that successful vote, Tennessee has placed a few restrictions on that, including the decision that if a student athlete has already transferred during their high school career that they've not used up that one free transfer. Oklahoma is another state that is allowing the practice.
Now another state is now on the verge of adopting something similar in what would be a massive change to rosters across the state.
According to The Albuquerque Journal, The New Mexico Activities Association Board of Directors is set to meet on Thursday this week to vote on a proposed bylaw that would also allow for one "free" transfer, starting with the 2026-27 season, and NMAA executive director Dusty Young shares that it's something that has "been a work in progress for several years now."
Many states allow for an open enrollment of sorts between an individual's 8th grade and 9th grade year, and New Mexico allows for that before their 8th grade year.
For this to be adopted, the NMAA would have to vote in favor of it, and the NMAA's member schools (which number right around 160) would also have to vote to approve, and both of those are expected to happen, per the report, which would make it live this summer.
Interestingly enough, the article also points out the NMAA is prepared to crack down on recruiting, or "undue influence" violations in the event that the one-time transfer passes, doubling the fine from $2,500 to $5,000 for first-time offenders as many schools have voiced a concern that allowing the free transfer would open things up to becoming a wild-west of sorts.
While that is certainly a legit concern, there are plenty of others concerned that program's struggling to field teams are going to be decimated with this change, while powerhouse programs will simply get stronger and deeper. On the flip side of things, the approach may incentivize schools to quickly invest in athletics when they had previously been slow to do exactly that.
A formal direction on where things are heading in New Mexico will be known later this week.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.