Now it’s up to the schools.
The New Mexico Activities Association Board of Directors on Thursday afternoon voted in favor — but not unanimously — of approving the NMAA’s revamped eligibility bylaw, including the “one free transfer” rule.
Previously, the NMAA Commission and the NMAA staff approved.
The final step of the process places this bylaw in the hands of the NMAA’s approximately 160 member schools. NMAA Executive Director Dusty Young said a ballot would be sent Thursday afternoon, and each school will have two weeks to cast a vote.
Young said the NMAA would announce the results of the vote on June 22. If it passes, the bylaw goes into effect for the upcoming 2026-27 school year.
There were board votes on a number of other items Thursday — there will be an increase in the number of state qualifiers in soccer, plus small-school baseball brackets, for example, plus a change in dates for next year’s Class 4A/5A state track and field meet — but the vote on the eligibility topic is the one that has attracted the most attention.
As expected, this item created considerable discussion, and some consternation, among board members, as these proposed revisions mark a radical philosophical change for the NMAA.
Most of this centers on the one-free-transfer rule, which would allow students to change schools without penalty and, so long as they transfer before the start date of a particular sport season, they’d become varsity-eligible at their new school.
There are, naturally, some provisions. There is particular concern among coaches, and inside the NMAA offices, about the recruitment of athletes, and how precisely this could be detected. It is the “undue influence” section of the eligibility bylaw. The penalties for recruitment — if caught — could be severe for the athlete and the offending school.
Another aspect is that individual districts across the state may institute their own policies that are stricter than the NMAA language. Rio Rancho Public Schools Athletic Director Todd Resch said transfers between Rio Rancho and Cleveland would, he believed, be all but prohibited. Either school, he added, would accept transfers from other districts — such as Albuquerque Public Schools.
In Las Cruces, athletes can’t transfer among the four large schools without sitting out a season, barring a bonafide change in residence.
Gabriella Duran Blakey, the APS superintendent who is also an NMAA board member, said APS would follow the NMAA’s lead on this bylaw.
Students who attempt a second transfer will be ineligible for varsity competition for a full calendar year, although there are some exceptions.
Lee White, the superintendent of Loving Municipal Schools and an NMAA board member, agonized over his decision as the board members were polled individually.
He finally gave his answer: No.
“My No. 1 concern is the displacement of any student that currently exists in the system,” White said in a post-meeting interview. “And the displacement (because) of a star athlete from another place. I don’t think that’s fair.”
Moreover, White said, “I’m just frustrated by the fact that it’s come to this. I’m frustrated by the fact that we’re here.”
While the eligibility issue goes to a school vote, other action items Thursday will be implemented immediately.
State soccer tournaments will see an increase in qualifying teams from 12 to 16 in classes 4A and 5A, but the bracket will not have that traditional 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15 format.
It appears as though seeds 9-16 will play each other in an initial round. The four winners advance to the next round to meet seeds 5-8. And the winners of those games advance to meet one of the top four seeds. The lower seeds will need to win five games, over the course of a two-week postseason, to earn a state title. Seeds 5-8, four games. The top four seeds, three games.
Class 2A and 3A baseball are moving from 12 to 16 teams in the postseason, thus eliminating the first-round byes for the top four seeds. Class 1A will go from six to eight teams.
The 4A/5A state track and field meet will move from May 14-15 of next year to May 5-6, a Wednesday and Thursday, and will be held prior to the Class 1A-3A meet on May 7-8. This is because the University of New Mexico needs its facility to host the Mountain West Championships the weekend of the 14th and 15th.
The NMAA member schools will also be voting on a couple of soccer proposals that passed a board vote on Thursday.
The first is the elimination of all regular-season overtimes, except in tournaments that require a winner. The second is removing card count misconduct progression for players and coaches.
James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.
