2026 FHSAA Football Advisory Committee meeting

[Dr. D]

The FHSAA Football Advisory Committee, made up of 9 coaches, holds its annual meeting tomorrow to discuss items of interest.  The agenda can be found here:  https://fhsaa.com/documents/2026/1/6//FHSAA_Football_AC.pdf?id=7179   

Some of the topics tie in to discussions held on these pages, including computer rankings, playoff selection, attendance zones, and the Open Division.  Of course, this is only an advisory body, but it is refreshing to see that at least some of the coaches are aware and engaged in the challenges facing high school football in Florida.    

[Perspective]

Based on a quick glance, it appears that Venice coach John Peacock has his name on about half of the agenda items. Clearly, he's heavily involved in the process and deserves to be commended for his involvement.   That said, I did have to chuckle about his proposal involving the selections of officials for playoff games and his justifications for making sure the refs don't come from somewhere too close to one of the two teams.   If you've ever been on the sideline of a Venice home game (which makes up about 90% of their schedule), you likely would chuckle too at the irony.  

[KeemD321]

1 hour ago, Perspective said:

Based on a quick glance, it appears that Venice coach John Peacock has his name on about half of the agenda items. Clearly, he's heavily involved in the process and deserves to be commended for his involvement.   That said, I did have to chuckle about his proposal involving the selections of officials for playoff games and his justifications for making sure the refs don't come from somewhere too close to one of the two teams.   If you've ever been on the sideline of a Venice home game (which makes up about 90% of their schedule), you likely would chuckle too at the irony.  

Lol very ironic #itsdifferentthere lmao

[Mike E]

Playoff refs are supposed to be from neutral associations. At least some of the refs at the Lake Mary/Venice games knew at least some of the Lake Mary players. Chatting with and high fiving LM players before the game. Several refs stayed after the game and were milling around the Lake Mary side. I personally have never seen this and have been going to HS games for decades. The penalties were very slanted at Venice in the game.  I think there was 1 late game penalty against LM other than an unsportsmanlike call that went against both teams. I am not saying there was problems. But several of us noticed in the stands. I dont even know if his proposal had to do with this game. But, it was weirdly obvious at that game. 

[Mike E]

Just read the agenda and I was right about the LM game.  It really did have a bad look.

[Perspective]

10 hours ago, Mike E said:

 At least some of the refs at the Lake Mary/Venice games knew at least some of the Lake Mary players. Chatting with and high fiving LM players before the game. Several refs stayed after the game and were milling around the Lake Mary side. 

I agree that this is totally inappropriate.   The game officials should go out of their way to 'avoid the appearance of impropriety.'  A subtle nod of the head prior to the game would about as far as they should go.  Calling kids by name (even if they know the kid's name) and 'high-fiving' a kid clearly crosses the line.  The officials should have been smarter than that.  

[Jambun82]

11 hours ago, Mike E said:

Playoff refs are supposed to be from neutral associations. At least some of the refs at the Lake Mary/Venice games knew at least some of the Lake Mary players. Chatting with and high fiving LM players before the game. Several refs stayed after the game and were milling around the Lake Mary side. I personally have never seen this and have been going to HS games for decades. The penalties were very slanted at Venice in the game.  I think there was 1 late game penalty against LM other than an unsportsmanlike call that went against both teams. I am not saying there was problems. But several of us noticed in the stands. I dont even know if his proposal had to do with this game. But, it was weirdly obvious at that game. 

Please be more specific about "the penalties being very slanted at Venice in the game". Are you claiming that the officiating crew for the Venice-Lake Mary games was from the local Officiating Association in Central Florida?   

[Jambun82]

1 hour ago, Perspective said:

I agree that this is totally inappropriate.   The game officials should go out of their way to 'avoid the appearance of impropriety.'  A subtle nod of the head prior to the game would about as far as they should go.  Calling kids by name (even if they know the kid's name) and 'high-fiving' a kid clearly crosses the line.  The officials should have been smarter than that.  

Did you attend the game? Did you personally see these events happen, or are you just going on the words of this Venice High School Homer Message Board poster? 

[MarkECannon]

17 hours ago, Mike E said:

Playoff refs are supposed to be from neutral associations. At least some of the refs at the Lake Mary/Venice games knew at least some of the Lake Mary players. Chatting with and high fiving LM players before the game. Several refs stayed after the game and were milling around the Lake Mary side. I personally have never seen this and have been going to HS games for decades. The penalties were very slanted at Venice in the game.  I think there was 1 late game penalty against LM other than an unsportsmanlike call that went against both teams. I am not saying there was problems. But several of us noticed in the stands. I dont even know if his proposal had to do with this game. But, it was weirdly obvious at that game. 

Mike, I know for a fact that people from other areas of the state, definitely including Orlando, believe it is almost impossible to go to Venice and win partly due to unfair officiating favoring the Indians.  I recently watched an Orlando area show that brought this up before the First Academy @ Venice game this year.  The prognosticators on the show picked Venice to win the game because of the officiating.  I’m sure Jambun remembers the ESPN televised game a few years ago, St Frances @ Venice.  The whole nation saw the blatantly slanted officiating that favored Venice.  Someone asked Jambun to look at the replay and even he couldn’t defend it. 

[Jambun82]

4 hours ago, MarkECannon said:

Mike, I know for a fact that people from other areas of the state, definitely including Orlando, believe it is almost impossible to go to Venice and win partly due to unfair officiating favoring the Indians.  I recently watched an Orlando area show that brought this up before the First Academy @ Venice game this year.  The prognosticators on the show picked Venice to win the game because of the officiating.  I’m sure Jambun remembers the ESPN televised game a few years ago, St Frances @ Venice.  The whole nation saw the blatantly slanted officiating that favored Venice.  Someone asked Jambun to look at the replay and even he couldn’t defend it. 

Great points, MarkECannon. 

[XDC]

14 minutes ago, Jambun82 said:

Great points, MarkECannon. 

That’s right. Stand down, Jambun. 

[Mike E]

12 hours ago, Jambun82 said:

Please be more specific about "the penalties being very slanted at Venice in the game". Are you claiming that the officiating crew for the Venice-Lake Mary games was from the local Officiating Association in Central Florida?   

Yes, I was at the game. I am not saying they were the local association. I wouldn't have a way of knowing that one way or another. Yes, the penalty count was very slanted. It has been over a month at this point. But my recollection is that there was 1 single penalty walked against LM. And it was a false start on an extra point. I believe there was one offsetting penalty play. And one that Venice declined. The refs absolutely knew players and coaches on the other side. I am not all up in arms about it. I was over it by the time I got home at about 2 AM that night. It was LM's year. The way the championship game ended proved that. They are a good team.

[i4football]

Man, this thread still got me dyin' over here, noimsayin? I done read it three times now, laughin' harder each pass—like watchin' a drunk lady at the club try to line dance after last call. Back in the '70s, growin' up in the hood, we'd argue calls on the sandlot till somebody's mama yelled for dinner. But these grown-ass men on a message board goin' at it over refs high-fivin' kids? Priceless.

 

Shoutout to Coach Peacock—man straight-up OWNED that agenda like he was filin' taxes for the whole committee. Half the items got his name on 'em? That's not involvement, that's a hostile takeover! I bet he walked in there like, "Y'all can talk, but we doin' MY ideas." Respect the hustle, though. Dude's buildin' empires down in Venice—suckin' in QBs mid-season like Publix suckin' in old folks for that BOGO chicken tender sub. Transfers rollin' in from everywhere, band camped out in the endzone blastin' "Sweet Caroline" (or whatever) right when the visitors huddle up. Can't hear yo' own snap count over them middle school trumpets goin' HAM—intentional as hell, but "ain't against the rules." Classic.

 

Then this man turns around and drops a proposal 'bout playoff refs needin' to be neutral—no chattin', no high-fives, avoid that "appearance of impropriety." Bruh... the irony hittin' harder than the hangover I had after bettin' on the Dolphins last Sunday (lost a hundo, don't ask). Venice been servin' home cookin' so thick you need a biscuit to sop it up! That Lake Mary game? Refs actin' like they Lake Mary's long-lost uncles—high-fivin', callin' kids by name, penalties lopsided like my ex's alimony demands. And folks in Orlando swear you can't win in Venice without the zebras wearin' green and white under they stripes. Hell, that ESPN St. Frances game? Whole nation saw it—calls so slanted even Stevie Wonder was like, "Damn!"

 

Don't get me wrong, refs gotta chill with the familiarity everywhere. But Peacock pushin' this like he just discovered fire? Hilarious. It's like me complainin' 'bout a lady bein' too clingy after I done chased every stripper from here to Tampa. Pot, meet kettle—kettle, grab a mirror.

 

And that Cocoa game last year? Whew, them "no-calls" on the final drive... I had fifty on Cocoa coverin', thought it was free money. Nope. Home magic struck again. Drove home mutterin' curses, stopped at Publix for some comfort fried chicken—told the cashier lady my woes, she gave me extra pieces for free. Perks of the job.

 

Anyway, hearin' the FHSAA already droppin' big changes for '26—Open Division for the big dogs, fewer classes, all that. Wonder if any of Peacock's stuff made the cut, or if they just nodded politely and did whatever. I might throw a sawbuck on "Peacock gets one thing passed... the band volume limit" or somethin'. Anybody takin' action?

 

Y'all keep it comin'—this Florida HS football drama better than any soap opera. What's next, refs gotta wear blindfolds?

[PinellasFB]

I have a lot of respect for that great Venice program but having a coach of that team so heavily involved in the process pretty much ensures the rules will remain in favor of the all-star teams.  I would just like to see some proper boundaries in place.  For example, in-season transfers have to sit out the entire season under any circumstances.  Even if you allow something that makes sense like a foster home kid, I can see how that exception could be abused too.  I'm also in favor of an open division playoff but with one simple qualification category:  If your team received 5+ transfers in one year,  you are automatically bumped to this division.  That simple rule would completely fix the transfer madness.  A team like TFA, for example, would not care about getting bumped into that division because that is their mission to play a showcase schedule with their NIL mercenaries.  However, a team like Lakeland with a lot of home-grown talent, might limit itself to 5 or less transfers in.  

Edit:  Re-thinking the foster home kid exception, I would be cool with an exception for "ward of the state" kids.  Their lives are hell enough so yeah, make them an exception.   Anyone willing to abuse the rules by making their kid a ward of the state intentionally will probably find a way around any other rule. Cheaters are cheaters.

[Jambun82]

13 hours ago, XDC said:

That’s right. Stand down, Jambun. 

Stand down from what? 

[Jambun82]

11 hours ago, Mike E said:

Yes, I was at the game. I am not saying they were the local association. I wouldn't have a way of knowing that one way or another. Yes, the penalty count was very slanted. It has been over a month at this point. But my recollection is that there was 1 single penalty walked against LM. And it was a false start on an extra point. I believe there was one offsetting penalty play. And one that Venice declined. The refs absolutely knew players and coaches on the other side. I am not all up in arms about it. I was over it by the time I got home at about 2 AM that night. It was LM's year. The way the championship game ended proved that. They are a good team.

There were several fouls called that became penalties in the first half against Lake Mary including in an ineligible man down field and a Defensive Pass Interference penalty right before halftime if I am not mistaken. 

[Mike E]

Not that it matters. I am not trying to make a huge to do about this. I would be willing to go back and watch a replay of the game if I could find one. My buddy watched it streamed live. But I have never found a link. The 2 penalties you mentioned completely ring a bell as to the decline and offsetting. 

[Perspective]

9 hours ago, PinellasFB said:

  If your team received 5+ transfers in one year,  you are automatically bumped to this division.  That simple rule would completely fix the transfer madness.  

 

PinellasFB, I believe you have floated this idea before.   I'm not saying it's a bad idea or that you're wrong, but I have a legit question and it basically boils down to this:  can a school control the number of transfers that come into the school in a given year?  

While some (many?) transfers are the direct result of [illegal] recruiting efforts, sometimes there are other factors that result in a school receiving transfers . . . a head or position coach switches schools, a particular school becomes the "cool school" for whatever reasons and the kids want to go there, a nearby charter school shuts down, etc.  It seems like your idea "punishes" a school that happens to benefit from a handful of transfers even if the school did nothing against the rules to cause the influx.  Can a school or a coach 'turn down' a kid who wants to transfer into that school?  In short, if your proposal were instituted, is there any way a school could limit the number of incoming transfers for a given year to avoid being elevated into the open division?  

 

[Jambun82]

7 hours ago, Mike E said:

Not that it matters. I am not trying to make a huge to do about this. I would be willing to go back and watch a replay of the game if I could find one. My buddy watched it streamed live. But I have never found a link. The 2 penalties you mentioned completely ring a bell as to the decline and offsetting. 

If it doesn't matter and you are not trying to make a huge issue about it, why did you bring it up in the first place? The ineligible man down field was declined I believe, because Lake Mary had an incomplete pass on the play. The Defensive Pass Interference penalty was not declined, neither foul offset.  

[PinellasFB]

14 hours ago, Perspective said:

PinellasFB, I believe you have floated this idea before.   I'm not saying it's a bad idea or that you're wrong, but I have a legit question and it basically boils down to this:  can a school control the number of transfers that come into the school in a given year?  

While some (many?) transfers are the direct result of [illegal] recruiting efforts, sometimes there are other factors that result in a school receiving transfers . . . a head or position coach switches schools, a particular school becomes the "cool school" for whatever reasons and the kids want to go there, a nearby charter school shuts down, etc.  It seems like your idea "punishes" a school that happens to benefit from a handful of transfers even if the school did nothing against the rules to cause the influx.  Can a school or a coach 'turn down' a kid who wants to transfer into that school?  In short, if your proposal were instituted, is there any way a school could limit the number of incoming transfers for a given year to avoid being elevated into the open division?  

 

No, a school can't control how many new kids transfer into the school.  However, they can control how many they allow on the football team without sitting out a year.  I have observed HS ball for dozens of years.  The schools that aren't "high valued" football teams don't generally get more than a handful of new kids in.  PHU never gets more than 1-2 transfers in due to a move each year.  Even more desirable teams rarely get more than 5 from my count.  Compare that to someone like TFA that gets 30+ transfers in.  I could randomly choose a final four team from any classification and I'm guessing they all would have 5+.  Clearly then, this rule would apply only to the usual suspects.

[Mike E]

I was responding to @Perspective's post adding context to something they said. You know, friendly conversation...

[Jambun82]

10 hours ago, Mike E said:

I was responding to @Perspective's post adding context to something they said. You know, friendly conversation...

If you wanted to have a "friendly conversation", you should not have slandered, libeled, and told lies about the officiating crew of the Lake Mary-Venice game. 

[nolebull813]

I’m old enough to remember that the FHSAA had a bylaw in place that if any sport refuses to compete in district competition, EVERY SPORT FROM THAT SCHOOL IS BANNED FROM THE PLAYOFFS FOR A YEAR!!!!!!!!

There was a team that their cross country didn’t compete, so the football, basketball, baseball and every other sport was banned from the playoffs. 
 

This corrupt and incompetent organization should be disbanded 

[i4football]

6 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

I’m old enough to remember that the FHSAA had a bylaw in place that if any sport refuses to compete in district competition, EVERY SPORT FROM THAT SCHOOL IS BANNED FROM THE PLAYOFFS FOR A YEAR!!!!!!!!

There was a team that their cross country didn’t compete, so the football, basketball, baseball and every other sport was banned from the playoffs. 
 

This corrupt and incompetent organization should be disbanded 

Man, listen here, noimsayin... back in the day when I was slingin' subs at the Publix deli counter—yeah, the one where the old ladies come in askin' for "just a little bit of everything" like they orderin' from the Chinese buffet—I used to hear all kinds of wild stories from folks. But this one from nolebull813? This take the cake, bruh.

 

Picture this: It's 1990-somethin', I'm still young, fresh outta FAMU, chasin' this fine lil' thing who worked nights at the strip club off I-4 (don't judge, we all had our phases, and she said she was "dancin' to pay for nursing school"... yeah, I believed that for about three dates before the bouncer introduced himself real personal-like). Anyway, I'm sittin' there one night losin' my last $20 on a Dolphins game—'cause why not throw good money after bad, right?—when some coach from who-knows-where starts spinnin' this tale about how the FHSAA had this ironclad bylaw: one sport skips district, boom, whole school gets the death penalty for playoffs. Cross country ghosts the meet? Football, hoops, baseball—all of 'em sittin' home watchin' on TV like they owe child support.

 

I remember thinkin', "Man, that sound like some straight-up mafia rules. Like, Don Corleone runnin' the FHSAA board meetin' with a cigar and a gavel." But even back then, I was like, "Hold up... where the proof at? You got the handbook page? A newspaper clip? Somethin' besides 'I remember'?"

 

Fast forward to now—I'm pushin' 70, still at Publix (customer service counter these days, where I get to hear why someone's coupons expired in 2008 and it's my fault), and I been diggin' through every old FHSAA handbook I could find online, every statute from the '90s and 2000s, every news blip about sanctions. Ain't nothin'. Zero. Zilch. Not one single bylaw sayin' "cross country no-show = everybody go home." Penalties? Yeah, they hit the sport that messed up—fines, forfeits, maybe a year ban for that team. But the whole damn school? Nah, that ain't how they roll. Even when they drop the hammer on big dogs like The First Academy or Gadsden County for recruitin' nonsense, it's football-only gettin' the boot. Not basketball, not track, not even the cheer squad.

 

And that magic incident with the cross country team? Gone. Poof. No school name, no year, no article, no nothin'. It's like Bigfoot—everybody "knows somebody who saw it," but when you ask for the photo, crickets.

 

So nolebull813 out here droppin' these gems like they gospel, long on hot air, short on receipts. Bruh, if you gonna tell a story that wild, at least bring the receipts... or buy me a beer first. 'Cause right now? It sound like the kinda tale you tell after losin' a parlay and need somethin' to blame besides your bad picks.

 

Me?  I'll stick to what I know: Florida high school football is the best show in town, the FHSAA got rules (some dumb, some fair), but they ain't never been out here punishin' the whole cafeteria line 'cause one kid skipped gym class. Noimsayin'? Keep 'em comin', though—gives me somethin' to laugh about while I'm refundin' expired milk.

[imjustafan2]

On 1/7/2026 at 11:14 AM, Dr. D said:

The FHSAA Football Advisory Committee, made up of 9 coaches, holds its annual meeting tomorrow to discuss items of interest.  The agenda can be found here:  https://fhsaa.com/documents/2026/1/6//FHSAA_Football_AC.pdf?id=7179   

Some of the topics tie in to discussions held on these pages, including computer rankings, playoff selection, attendance zones, and the Open Division.  Of course, this is only an advisory body, but it is refreshing to see that at least some of the coaches are aware and engaged in the challenges facing high school football in Florida.    

So, back to the original post. Did anyone attend, watch or actually see/hear or read the minutes of what was discussed at the meeting? Were there any takeaways positive or negative? Any additional items that may have been brought up for discussion? Was anything decided?