Looks like FHSAA is in panic mode

[Hwy17]

More schools keep leaving for SSAA and now they're going to have to consolidate a class.  I would not be a bit surprised if this makes even more leave.  

[nolebull813]

Teams should. Take 5A for example. East Lee County, Leto, Palmetto Ridge, Gulf Breeze, Boyd Anderson, Deerfield Beach, Belleview, Kathleen, Everglades, Lyman, Cypress Creek and Pembroke Pines Charter combined RECORDS in Florida FHSAA 5A competition is a combined 

11-109!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is literally no reason any of these teams are in a classification with STA, Edgewater, Lakeland, Tech, Atlantic, Mainland, Tampa Bay Tech etc etc. 

They need to be in the SSAA with teams their caliber 

[HSfootballguy]

Rural Consildating has been in the works for several weeks now.  They were down to like 18 schools below the 23/24 threshold thay had in place. I am sure some more of them will leave now that it is actually being done.

The bigger schools is what really is shaking things.  I don't know if they have made the district changes yet online, but I know Boyd Anderson, Douglas, and 1 other big school (I forget the name) has jumped to independent in Broward the last couple week.

[PinellasFB]

All the FHSAA has to do is lock down the transfer madness and it will fix everything.  These teams are downtrodden because they continually get raided by the all star teams.  The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.  I have said time and again, the easiest way to fix the transfer chaos is to auto-bump schools into the open division if they get 5+ transfers into their team.  "What about the legitimate transfers for moves???"  Yes, this is a challenge but there are ways around that.  Coaches who worry about getting bumped into the open division can simply tell kids that move they have to sit out a year.  A "non-traditional" student athlete also counts as a transfer in every year.  That would take care of system abusers like West Boca that have literally 30+ players on their team that don't even go to West Boca.  

[Hwy17]

3 hours ago, PinellasFB said:

All the FHSAA has to do is lock down the transfer madness and it will fix everything.  These teams are downtrodden because they continually get raided by the all star teams.  The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.  I have said time and again, the easiest way to fix the transfer chaos is to auto-bump schools into the open division if they get 5+ transfers into their team.  "What about the legitimate transfers for moves???"  Yes, this is a challenge but there are ways around that.  Coaches who worry about getting bumped into the open division can simply tell kids that move they have to sit out a year.  A "non-traditional" student athlete also counts as a transfer in every year.  That would take care of system abusers like West Boca that have literally 30+ players on their team that don't even go to West Boca.  

Since the bureaucracy that is FHSAA is to inept to fix it, seeking an alternative is the best for us.

[Dr. D]

Interesting development… Alabama restructures football classifications:

"The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Central Board of Control voted by a 13-2 margin to adopt a new model that establishes 6 classifications for public schools and 2 classifications for private schools.  Under the new format, public and private schools will compete in separate classifications for regular season play and separate brackets for postseason championships, while still being allowed to play one another during the regular season."

Alabama joins Tennessee and Georgia in separating public and private schools in postseason play.  Not saying this is the answer in Florida, but it shows a willingness of some states to address the competitive equity issue in their states.  If the FHSAA continues its head-buried-in-the-sand approach to this issue, more schools will surely be seeking different opportunities outside the FHSAA.

[Hwy17]

21 hours ago, HSfootballguy said:

Rural Consildating has been in the works for several weeks now.  They were down to like 18 schools below the 23/24 threshold thay had in place. I am sure some more of them will leave now that it is actually being done.

The bigger schools is what really is shaking things.  I don't know if they have made the district changes yet online, but I know Boyd Anderson, Douglas, and 1 other big school (I forget the name) has jumped to independent in Broward the last couple week.

The SSAA Atlantic division has grown from 20 for 2025 to 52 and counting for 2026.  With the exception of Okeechobee who would otherwise be 4A, most the schools in it are either rural, 1A or 2A and only a few 3A.  The Atlantic division is for schools 800+ in size.  I'm curious to know if there's enough interest from the large school independents and the SSAA to create a large school division?  Let's say 1600 and up.

[Hwy17]

21 minutes ago, Dr. D said:

Interesting development… Alabama restructures football classifications:

"The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Central Board of Control voted by a 13-2 margin to adopt a new model that establishes 6 classifications for public schools and 2 classifications for private schools.  Under the new format, public and private schools will compete in separate classifications for regular season play and separate brackets for postseason championships, while still being allowed to play one another during the regular season."

Alabama joins Tennessee and Georgia in separating public and private schools in postseason play.  Not saying this is the answer in Florida, but it shows a willingness of some states to address the competitive equity issue in their states.  If the FHSAA continues its head-buried-in-the-sand approach to this issue, more schools will surely be seeking different opportunities outside the FHSAA.

The SSAA doesn't exactly separate public from private.  

[Dr. D]

No, but it appears that they aim for "like vs. like".  And that looks different in different states, depending on demographics, school/transfer policies, etc.  So I applaud those involved with the SSAA for providing a competitive opportunity for like-minded schools.  

[nolebull813]

1 hour ago, Dr. D said:

Interesting development… Alabama restructures football classifications:

 

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"The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Central Board of Control voted by a 13-2 margin to adopt a new model that establishes 6 classifications for public schools and 2 classifications for private schools.  Under the new format, public and private schools will compete in separate classifications for regular season play and separate brackets for postseason championships, while still being allowed to play one another during the regular season."

 

Alabama joins Tennessee and Georgia in separating public and private schools in postseason play.  Not saying this is the answer in Florida, but it shows a willingness of some states to address the competitive equity issue in their states.  If the FHSAA continues its head-buried-in-the-sand approach to this issue, more schools will surely be seeking different opportunities outside the FHSAA.

Fun fact. Public school accumulate and stockpile much more football transfers than privates do on average. 

[Dr. D]

There is no published data that compares how many transfers go to public vs. private high schools in Alabama.  But the AHSAA explicitly cited eligibility disputes tied to transfers into private schools as a reason for restructuring their classification and playoff system.

But to your point, it is true that public schools receive more transfers than private schools in states where data is readily available on the destination of transfers, such as Texas, California, Georgia, and, yes, Florida.  The data and empirical observation also support the view that private schools receive a higher percentage of high impact/top-tier/elite transfer talent.   
 

[PinellasFB]

2 hours ago, Hwy17 said:

The SSAA doesn't exactly separate public from private.  

But what they do is to enforce strict recruiting and transfer rules.  The only want fair play.

[PinellasFB]

50 minutes ago, nolebull813 said:

Fun fact. Public school accumulate and stockpile much more football transfers than privates do on average. 

Even more fun fact.  These public schools that take in transfers are always the same few schools.  MNW, Central, Venice, and few newcomers like Booker and West Boca etc.  There are wayyyyy more public schools than those few that you are referring to.

[Perspective]

11 hours ago, PinellasFB said:

But what they do is to enforce strict recruiting and transfer rules.  The only want fair play.

PinellasFB, I hear what you are saying.   But how can the FHSAA restrict or limit transfers in light of the state legislature's mandate regarding school choice?   

I don't often come to the defense of the FHSAA, but on this particular issue, it seems to me that they are in between a rock and a hard place.  

As for the cap proposal, let me lay out a hypothetical for you:  you're the coach of a public high school in Pinellas County that is making some progress . . . at the beginning of the summer, you find out that four kids have transferred into your school - each for his own legitimate reason.  Not studs, but kids that might be able to help your team.   Then, out of the blue, right before school starts, Joe Stud's dad gets a job offer and his family moves down from Ohio into your district.  Under your proposal, if you let Joe play, your school will get kicked into the open division and you will likely give back all the ground you've gained over the last few years.  But if you make Joe sit out a year to preserve your status quo in the district, you can rest assured that Joe will go somewhere else.  What do you do?

[Hwy17]

6 minutes ago, Perspective said:

PinellasFB, I hear what you are saying.   But how can the FHSAA restrict or limit transfers in light of the state legislature's mandate regarding school choice?   

I don't often come to the defense of the FHSAA, but on this particular issue, it seems to me that they are in between a rock and a hard place.  

As for the cap proposal, let me lay out a hypothetical for you:  you're the coach of a public high school in Pinellas County that is making some progress . . . at the beginning of the summer, you find out that four kids have transferred into your school - each for his own legitimate reason.  Not studs, but kids that might be able to help your team.   Then, out of the blue, right before school starts, Joe Stud's dad gets a job offer and his family moves down from Ohio into your district.  Under your proposal, if you let Joe play, your school will get kicked into the open division and you will likely give back all the ground you've gained over the last few years.  But if you make Joe sit out a year to preserve your status quo in the district, you can rest assured that Joe will go somewhere else.  What do you do?

I'm not entirely clear what the SSAA by-laws on transfers is, however if they're able to adopt a policy, even if it's through mutual understanding, then why can't a more established organization like FHSAA do the same?  There seems to be a lack of will and desire to pass the buck to the state legislature. To your hypothetical scenario, I don't know of anyone complaining about a transfer who is a legitimate move into the school's zone. Let's no deflect from the actual issue at hand, which is when multiple transfers from neighboring schools all end up at one school at the same time. 

[Perspective]

If you haven't taken a look at the Florida statute governing the FHSAA, you might want to: 

https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=1000-1099/1006/Sections/1006.20.html

[181pl]

On 1/25/2026 at 8:03 PM, nolebull813 said:

Fun fact. Public school accumulate and stockpile much more football transfers than privates do on average. 

lol. just stop. There is STA, Chaminade, AHP snd then everyone else. Once in a while a MNW or central can compete.

The fhsaa will die unless they separate. 

[nolebull813]

6 minutes ago, 181pl said:

lol. just stop. There is STA, Chaminade, AHP snd then everyone else. Once in a while a MNW or central can compete.

The fhsaa will die unless they separate. 

I’m talking about the sheer volume of transfers. Lake Mary, Lake Brantley, Edgewater and Lake Howell got a combined 63 football transfers last year!!!!

Thats probably more than STA, AHP, and Chaminade got 

[nolebull813]

What’s funny is Lake Mary got 25 football transfers last year and wins state. No one bats an eye. In fact, they were largely celebrated. Lol

[gatorman-uf]

Coaches want to play similar type teams (regardless of size). No school wants to play in a running clock game. Coaches want to play competitive games and know that the team they are playing against is following the same general rules as they are.  Also the BEST teams are going to have to make a sacrifice here if they want the FHSAA to continue, they are going to be willing to only have 1 state championship team between them.

The FHSAA must seriously consider a promotion/relegation system if it does not plan to implement a private/public separation. I don't understand the drawback of looking at the past 4 years of data and classifying the top 32 teams, then 32, 64, 64, 128, 128. The 64-team classes are divided into 8 districts with 8 teams, and the 128-team classes are divided into 16 districts with 8 teams. If the classes are based on recent ability, they should be relatively similar in ability and thus competitive. Even if a below-average metro area team loses a kid to a powerhouse school, it isn't as much of a concern because you wouldn't be playing that team in districts or playoffs, and likely the other schools in your district are facing the same thing.

[PinellasFB]

On 1/26/2026 at 9:04 AM, Perspective said:

PinellasFB, I hear what you are saying.   But how can the FHSAA restrict or limit transfers in light of the state legislature's mandate regarding school choice?   

I don't often come to the defense of the FHSAA, but on this particular issue, it seems to me that they are in between a rock and a hard place.  

As for the cap proposal, let me lay out a hypothetical for you:  you're the coach of a public high school in Pinellas County that is making some progress . . . at the beginning of the summer, you find out that four kids have transferred into your school - each for his own legitimate reason.  Not studs, but kids that might be able to help your team.   Then, out of the blue, right before school starts, Joe Stud's dad gets a job offer and his family moves down from Ohio into your district.  Under your proposal, if you let Joe play, your school will get kicked into the open division and you will likely give back all the ground you've gained over the last few years.  But if you make Joe sit out a year to preserve your status quo in the district, you can rest assured that Joe will go somewhere else.  What do you do?

1. You can still school choice all you want but sports has a different set of rules to avoid "transfer for athletics" which is not what school choice is about, which is academics/environment.
2. Cap proposal is a hard 5.  If you are already at the cap then some tough choices will have to be made.  Everyone will agree to these rules because transfers generally only positively impact a handful of teams each year while hurting the overwhelming majority.  The cap limit can be adjusted based upon actual data rather than an arbitrary "fair number" that popped into my head.  Remember, this rule is the save the FHSAA because too many schools are punching out.

[181pl]

On 1/28/2026 at 2:30 PM, nolebull813 said:

What’s funny is Lake Mary got 25 football transfers last year and wins state. No one bats an eye. In fact, they were largely celebrated. Lol

what happens if the play sta?

[nolebull813]

36 minutes ago, 181pl said:

what happens if the play sta?

Take the L

[WhatsUpDoc]

On 1/24/2026 at 9:03 AM, Hwy17 said:

More schools keep leaving for SSAA and now they're going to have to consolidate a class.  I would not be a bit surprised if this makes even more leave.  

Do you blame them? FHSAA is ran by people who allow private schools to RECRUIT and now allows certain public schools to stack its players. 

To see teams leave FHSAA is a dream I have had for years after I send evidence of private school in South Florida RECRUITING and was told "its out of our hands". I am glad to see public schools standing up to the BUREAUCRATS in Tallahassee whose pockets are deep from what I've heard.

[WhatsUpDoc]

On 1/25/2026 at 8:03 PM, nolebull813 said:

Fun fact. Public school accumulate and stockpile much more football transfers than privates do on average. 

Fun Fact, private schools literally gets on jets and goes recruiting around the country.