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Come August, a flow chart may be needed to document the number of New Mexico high school athletes who transfer schools.

On Thursday, the New Mexico Activities Association鈥檚 Board of Directors is expected to vote on a proposal that would allow student-athletes one 鈥渇ree鈥� transfer, starting in 2026-27.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a work in progress for several years now,鈥� NMAA executive director Dusty Young said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been on our radar for quite some time.鈥�

This would be one of the major shifts the NMAA, which governs high school athletics, has ever undertaken. It would include what Young described as a 鈥渃omplete overhaul鈥� of NMAA eligibility bylaws.

Part of this is driven by the NMAA's desire to reduce the number of legal challenges related to an athlete's eligibility, as well as to ward off legislative intrusions.

Earlier this year, a bill filed by Sen. Antonio 鈥淢oe鈥� Maestas that proposed to give decision-making power on student-athlete eligibility to the Public Education Department instead of the NMAA, was not heard. There have been multiple unsuccessful efforts along these lines in recent legislative sessions.

Students have the option to make an open enrollment choice before their eighth-grade year. But transferring after making that choice can be complicated and frequently leads an athlete to sit out for a lengthy period.

This free transfer would, more or less, grease the proverbial wheels.

But it must pass two more stages before it is enacted. First, the NMAA board would have to vote in favor. The NMAA Commission has already given its endorsement (by a 14-1 vote) and is recommending that the board follow suit.

Second, the NMAA鈥檚 160-plus member schools would have to vote to approve. There would be a referendum.

Still, it is believed this will become an NMAA bylaw starting this summer.

鈥淚鈥檝e bounced back and forth with this,鈥� said Valley High football coach Billy Cobos. 鈥淗onestly, either way, we鈥檙e gonna grit our teeth, bear it, and do our best.鈥�

There is general agreement that this proposed new bylaw would, if implemented, possibly damage struggling programs, or schools, where participation numbers are lacking. In short, there are concerns the rich will get richer, and vice versa.

鈥淚鈥檓 afraid the best teams are gonna stay better and the rest will struggle because they can鈥檛 compete,鈥� said Del Norte boys basketball coach Jeron McIntosh. 鈥淭here are a lot of unknowns.鈥�

The sa国际传媒官网网页入口 metro area is certain to see the highest number of transfer applications, if this bylaw is added to the NMAA鈥檚 eligibility language within its handbook. All the cities that feature multiple, large public high schools 鈥� Rio Rancho, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Farmington, Gallup, Roswell, Los Lunas 鈥� would be ripe for a bump as well.

鈥淚 feel like there鈥檚 gonna be this influx. It鈥檒l be like when NIL started,鈥� Cobos opined.

The rural areas, of which New Mexico has dozens, are not going to be immune to athletes parachuting out in search of greener pastures, Young said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 here,鈥� said Angel Castillo, the head softball coach at Cleveland and the executive director of the New Mexico High School Coaches Association. Castillo also serves as a member of the NMAA Commission. 鈥淎nd I think as a state we鈥檙e doing the right thing in trying to make some additions without it being a free-for-all.鈥�

A popular two-word phrase being tossed around in relation to this proposed transfer rule is 鈥渨ild west.鈥� To that end, Young, and most everyone, anticipates the number of transfer applications to go up quite a bit in this upcoming school year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something new so people will jump at it right away, but I don鈥檛 think there will be super teams as people think there might be,鈥� Castillo said. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be interesting to see how many people jump at it.鈥�

One thing to note: As yet, the proposal contains nothing addressing the possibility of multiple athletes from one program transferring en masse to the same new school.

鈥淚f it becomes a trend,鈥� Young said, 鈥渢hen we鈥檒l have to look at it and see if we can come up with some additional guardrails.鈥�

There are, of course, going to be conditions attached to potential transfers, who will have to do their homework and be sure they know the rules before they seek a different roof over their heads.

A couple of scenarios:

If a student-athlete transfers from School A to School B and goes through the tryout process, but feels it鈥檚 a bad fit, he or she can return to their previous school. But they鈥檇 have to sit out that varsity season and could compete only at a sub-varsity level.

If that same athlete participates in a varsity event at their new school but then changes their mind and wants to return to their previous school, they can return but will lose their eligibility to compete in that sport at any level for that season.

"There鈥檚 not an upside, not for our programs,鈥� said Highland High football coach Phillip Lovato. Highland is a school that has frequently labored in recent years to get athletes competing in many sports.

Lovato believes that students who transfer are unlikely to return to their previous school, even if things don鈥檛 work out at their new school. A student must transfer before a particular sport鈥檚 start date to compete at the varsity level.

Cobos said one of the trap doors for any athlete pondering a transfer is this: leaving a program where they are already solidified for one where their status may be uncertain.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 know if kids will be going left and right, or if it won鈥檛 affect anyone, really,鈥� McIntosh said. 鈥淎t Del Norte, especially, we are worried about those best players going to Sandia or La Cueva. It would force us to reset over and over.鈥�

Young said New Mexico is following many other states in looking to create updated language on this topic.

鈥淚 would say in the last 18 months, it鈥檚 become a very hot topic,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot just here in New Mexico but across the United States. There are so many variables today.鈥�

There are, he said, upward of 20 states that have instituted new transfer rules, and other states, like New Mexico, that are deep into the process.

Young emphasized that if there is to be change, it should come through a vote directly from the NMAA鈥檚 membership.

This proposal will also certainly lead to more scrutiny from the NMAA鈥檚 end, and a fat, $5,000 fine is in play if an individual program 鈥� including third parties 鈥� is determined to have exercised 鈥渦ndue influence鈥� on a transferring athlete. It used to be $2,500 for a first offense; that step would disappear and go straight to $5K. To that end, whistleblowers, who are already common enough, may multiply. But, Young added, he believes the member schools and their communities 鈥渄o a pretty good job of policing each other.鈥�

Bottom line: the NMAA will take recruiting violations seriously. Now more than ever.

鈥淭hat is because of the initial concerns that came from our membership that if we open it up, it鈥檚 gonna be the wild west,鈥� he said.

Young, in speaking with other state directors, said he has been told that New Mexico would see an increase in transfers, especially in year one, but that it would level off within a couple of years.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at .