By Austin Collette | Courtesy of The Elk Valley Times

July 14 marks a new era in athletics across the state of Tennessee. That is the first day of the TSSAA’s (Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association) changes to the transfer rule.

Previously, if a student wanted to transfer to a school outside where he/she presently resides, it required a change in address to where the requested school is zoned for. If a student wanted to transfer to a school inside where he/she presently resides, said athlete would have to sit out a full year from the last game he/she played.

Those guidelines are now out the window with TSSAA’s changes.

Now, a student can transfer to whatever school he/she chooses without penalty. A change in address would not be required nor waiting a year to be eligible.

For example, say a student from Huntland High School requested to transfer to Fayetteville High School. He/she would not have to move to the Fayetteville, Lincoln County area to attend Fayetteville High School and compete in athletics for the Tigers.

Another example is that if a student at Fayetteville High School wanted to transfer to Lincoln County High School, he/she would not have to sit out a year before being eligible to play for the Falcons.

The rule requires transfer requests to be made for non-athletic reasons: academics, social-emotional well-being, the environment, or mental health. Additionally, the student’s previous school must confirm in writing that the transfer is not motivated by athletic reasons or disciplinary issues.

{Editor’s Note: This article is brought to thanks to an editorial partnership between The Lynchburg Times and The Elk Valley Times. To read more of their articles, click here.}

So, what do these changes to the transfer rule mean?

First off, it gives some power to the students, the athletes – a recent trend in the sports world. It unlocks the restrictive handcuffs of previous guidelines and allows more freedom of choice.

Secondly, decision making has to be carefully calculated. Yes, there is freedom in choosing what school to transfer to, but it’s not a free for all like the NCAA where one can transfer to a different school every year. Students get one free pass before having to abide by previous guidelines.

Third, it cuts down on recruiting violations by schools. Giles County in 2018 and Fayetteville in 2019 forfeited wins during their respective football seasons due to ineligible players on their rosters. Now, TSSAA’s changes loosen these restrictions that previously cost teams wins and in some cases playoff appearances.

It’s a young rule, so ramifications may come in the near future. It’s going to take observing these changes firsthand to see what needs change with this new rule.

Get ready, because on July 14, Tennessee’s high school version of the transfer portal arrives. Essentially, this rule is a miniature version of the NCAA’s transfer portal. Miniature because the TSSAA allows this to be exercised only one time. After that, the previous requirements of an address change or sitting out a year kick back in. •

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